Life After Life
by complete-randomalities
Summary: Dopplegangers have the face – Incarnations have the soul. This is the story of the current Incarnation of The Cursed One, Blair. Her first life remains a mystery to her–One that she never tried to solve, but there will come a time where she must. That time is not now but it will come and her life just might depend on it. (A Personification AU Rewrite) Eventual/Complicated Stefan/OC
1. Baggage

"Good morning Gilbert household!" Vivian Alden Han called out as she entered the house with two take-out bags and her daughter Blair in tow.

"Morning, Viv!" Jenna called back from the kitchen. "You're just in time for breakfast."

"You mean we're just in time for burnt toast," Vivian countered as she set the bags on the island.

"I would take offense to that but you're right, so I won't." Jenna laughed as she and Vivian exchanged friendly kisses on the cheek in greeting.

"Which is why we brought breakfast," Blair answered with an elaborate arm presentation.

Jenna looked at them like they were godsends. "Have I mentioned how much I love you both?"

"Not recently," Vivian teased and got the plates from the cupboard to start serving it up.

"So, where are the younger members of the Gilbert clan?" Blair asked as she took a seat at the kitchen island and reached out to take some bacon from the container, only to have her mother playfully swat her hand away.

"Elena is upstairs, and Jeremy is…hopefully getting ready." Jenna sounded completely overwhelmed. As she poured out the coffee, she casually asked, "So…did Jeremy ever convince you to go out with him or are you still turning him down flat?"

Vivian answered for her daughter. "Continually turning him down flat. I'm not sure if it's because he's a little younger than her or because he's her best friend's brother. I think they'd make a cute couple, though."

"Oh, so cute," Jenna laughed as she reached out and pinched Blair's cheeks.

Blair swatted her hand away and got off the stool, saying, "On this less than amusing note, I'm leaving. Tell Elena I'll meet her at school."

"You're not going to ride with her?" Vivian asked, sounding a bit concerned. "I figured you would since…"

"I think we'd both rather not be in a car together again any time soon," Blair answered before swiping some bacon for the road. "Later."

"Bye, hun," Vivian called out to her daughter before she left through the kitchen door.

Now that they were alone, Jenna got a bit serious. "How is she doing? How are you doing?"

Vivian removed her happy façade and let Jenna see how she was really feeling. "I'm still a wreck. Sometimes it hurts to look at her because she looks so much like her father – their Korean blood aside." This was the most Vivian had said about the situation in a long time. "And I can't get Blair to talk about it, not really. I don't even think she's talked to Elena about it. They both lost parents in that accident – shouldn't that bring them closer or something?"

"I don't know how to answer that." Jenna rubbed Vivian's arm in a supportive manner before putting a smile on her face because Jeremy and Elena were heading towards the kitchen.

"Show time," Vivian said in a hushed yet high-pitched voice and put a smile back on her face as well. 'Fake it till you make it' has been Vivian's mantra since her husband died in the car accident that killed Elena's parents as well. It was one thing raising her daughter with her husband – she had no idea how to do it alone. Especially since there was nothing normal about her daughter. Granted, there wasn't anything normal about Vivian either, but Blair? – Well, she's a whole other level.

* * *

Blair walked to Mystic Falls High and stood in front of it with a heavy groan. How many times would she have to keep going back to high school, she wondered as she stood there. Of course, the other times were during her previous lives, but still. It was high school _again_. One would think being Cursed with a supposedly infinite amount of lives would be awesome, but it wasn't. Especially since sometimes she – as Blair thought of it as – started from scratch and other times her soul would meld with someone who was already alive. One thing always stayed the same, though – her birthday. The same birthday as Elena Gilbert.

These thoughts went through her mind as she headed towards the school and accidentally walked into someone on her way there. "Watch it," she snapped even though she knew it was her own fault. Blair's eyes then her eyes shot open when she realized _who_ she had just bumped into. "Stefan?"

Stefan Salvatore removed his sunglasses and looked at her. He'd only ever seen her once before, but it wasn't like they had an introduction at that time, so how could she possibly know who he was? "How do you know my name?" he asked her curiously, trying not to show how much it bothered him.

Blair ignored the question and pointed firmly at him. "I swear to the deity of your choosing, if you're here because of Elena I will **end you**."

Stefan stepped closer to her, wanting to know, "Who are you?"

Blair crossed her arms and stood up straight, not that it did much for her height. "The name's Blair Alden Han. But I'm pretty sure you'll remember me better as Lydia." There wasn't any point of beating around the bush about who she was – especially since he was _here_. True, there were other lives that have crossed paths with Stefan but those came with too much baggage, so bringing them up wasn't an option. Mentioning Lydia was _definitely_ the safest bet.

Stefan only needed a second to process this and knew _exactly_ who she was. He knew Lydia awhile back and knew about her Curse and all that jazz. This must be her current Incarnation. There was no other explanation for it. He chuckled, looking her over. "You look different."

"Always do," Blair answered as she walked into the school with him. "But I'm serious, Stefan. Stay the hell away from Elena. I know who she looks like, but it's not her."

"I know that," Stefan answered with a bit of firmness to his tone. When they walked through a group of kids in the hall on their way to the office, he asked, "Does she know anything?"

Blair laughed at that question. "Oh, yeah, because that's just something I advertise on a daily basis."

"Point taken." Stefan stopped her so he could say, "I'm not going to hurt her, Lydia."

"Blair," she corrected with crossed arms of annoyance.

Stefan realized his mistake as soon as he said the name. "Blair, of course. Sorry." He looked at her with pleading eyes. "Just give me a chance…please?"

She really didn't want to give him any leeway when it came to Elena, but she thought of something that would take care of a piece of baggage from her life as Lydia and that just might make it worth it. "If I stay out of your way – _for now_ – then Lydia's debt is paid. Deal?" Blair held out her hand for him to shake on it.

Stefan took her hand and shook it in agreement. "Deal."

"How do you intend on becoming a student here anyway?" Blair asked and when he returned his sunglasses to his eyes with a grin, she rolled her eyes saying, "Stupid question," before walking away.

* * *

Blair was deliberately keeping her distance from Elena. Yes, they were best friends – at least at one point in their lives they were – but so much had happened since then. And it didn't help that Stefan was in the picture now. She was really starting to regret her decision of giving Stefan the space to cross paths with Elena, but at least her debt – _Lydia's_ debt would be settled. That was the only silver lining in all this crap.

Blair went around to the back of the school for a distraction and found Jeremy smoking pot, averting his eyes while Tyler Lockwood and Vicki Donovan were making out. "Thank you," was her sing-songy greeting as she plucked the joint from Jeremy's hand and took a hit. After seeing Stefan, she definitely needed it. Blair was good at keeping her cool – more or less anyway – when she talked to him, but that certainly wasn't what she was feeling. Lydia's lifetime wasn't the only one with Stefan-baggage.

"You're a pot-head freakshow, too, Han?" Tyler was definitely trying to get under her skin – something he's done for as long as either of them could remember.

"Oh, Lockwood, you have no idea," Blair replied then took another hit, only to blow it in Tyler's face. She gave the joint back to Jeremy and went on her way without another word.

As she walked, she quietly counted backwards to herself. "Five. Four. Three. Two. One." Blair turned around to find Tyler coming towards her. "You sure it's safe to leave your girlfriend alone with Jeremy? She just might try to jump his bones."

"She's not that desperate," Tyler countered. "Unlike present company."

Blair scoffed a chuckle at that. "Your blood still boils that I didn't give it up to you, huh? Guess you should have been nicer to me."

Tyler looked at her like she was insane before saying with a hint of anger. "Don't flatter yourself."

"Hey, you're the one that came after me to continue this dance," Blair countered. "So, who's doing the flattering?" She grinned and 'booped' his nose before turning around and walking away.

Tyler clenched his fists before heading back to Vicki, not liking the fact that as much as he enjoyed getting under Blair's skin he hated how she could get under his.

* * *

Blair was on her way to History class when she ran into Jeremy in the hall. "Hello, again."

"Again?" Jeremy sounded amused. "I'm pretty sure you didn't say hello earlier."

"Well neither did you," Blair grinned as she leaned against the row of lockers. Getting a bit serious, she asked, "How are things going with Vicki? Not well by the looks of things."

"They'd be going better if you actually helped me out," Jeremy countered.

Blair laughed, crossing her arms. "Me pretending to date you just to be a cover so you and Vicki can sneak off and do whatever is not an ideal arrangement for me. My answer is the same as it's been all Summer – _No_. And trying to get my mom and Jenna to convince me to say yes isn't going to work either. They think you're serious."

Jeremy shrugged. "Can't blame a guy for trying."

"Find another beard." Blair patted his arm in a good luck manner. "Or, better yet, find yourself a different girl."

"Like you're such an expert?" Jeremy laughed. "You've had, what, one relationship?"

"That you know of." Blair winked and walked to class, leaving Jeremy to take whatever he wanted from that.

As she walked down the hall, Elena came into view. Blair took a deep breath and went over to her. "Hey."

"Hey," Elena greeted before moving some hair over her shoulder. "Where were you this morning? I thought we were riding in together."

"You can fool everyone else, Elena, but not me," Blair answered. "One of the last things you want is to actually get into a car with me again."

"It's not like that," Elena tried to explain, but was failing. With one look from Blair, she was shot down. She sighed because of this. "I miss you, Blair. I've hardly seen you all Summer. I miss my friend."

"You've missed me?" Blair scoffed incredulously at that. " _You_ were the one who didn't want anything to do with me this Summer. _I_ lost someone too, Elena. You weren't the only one grieving but you just pushed me away."

Elena thought things were getting too heated between them. "I know, I'm sorry, but we shouldn't talk about this here."

"Or maybe we shouldn't talk about it at all?" Blair didn't Elena a chance to respond and walked into the classroom.

* * *

Blair went home after school, which ironically enough was the Salvatore Boarding House. When their family got hit with financial troubles a little while back and lost their house, Zach Salvatore offered them lodging until they got back on their feet, but the Boarding House ended up becoming home so they never left. That's something they'd might have to reconsider given the present circumstances.

"Mom? Zach?" Blair called out as she walked into the Boarding House. "Family meeting!"

Vivian and Zach were in the kitchen discussing the Stefan situation when they heard Blair's voice. "She knows," Zach stated, not looking forward to this conversation.

"No, really?" Vivian gasped dramatically. "She'll live, or she'll kick your ass, depending on her mood."

Zach wasn't amused. "That's not very comforting Vivian."

They kicked their butts into gear and got into the living room when Blair shouted again, "Meeting!"

Blair was standing in the middle of the room with crossed arms and a pissed expression upon her face. "When were you planning on telling me that Stefan was back? We _live_ here, you know!"

"I know." Zach also knew he was in for it now. "He's actually been here for a couple weeks."

Blair's face hardened as she turned to her mother. "You knew he was coming, didn't you? _That's_ why you convinced me to spend the last two weeks of Summer with Dad's parents, isn't it?"

"I know your history, with Stefan. I thought it'd best…" Vivian didn't get a chance to finish her sentence.

"What would be the best? For me to get blindsided?!" Blair rubbed her forehead, taking a deep breath. "I thought your witchy friend cast a spell to keep anyone who knew Katherine away from Elena." She looked up and saw the wince upon her mother's expression. "Your witchy friend died, didn't they?"

"They this past Winter," Vivian admitted. "I didn't think it'd be this big of a deal."

"Are you kidding me?" Blair shouted. "You _know_ what the story is with Katherine! Remember?!"

Zach got between them. "Maybe it's time for you both to take a step back and take a breath."

Blair did was she was asked – she took a step back and took a breath then turned her wrath on Zach. "And what about you?! What could possibly be going through your mind?"

Now it was Vivian's turn to cut in. "I think those questions could be turned on you, sweets. What did you do when you saw Stefan? Clearly nothing, or else we'd have gotten a call to dispose of his staked body. So, Blair, what's going through your mind?"

Blair felt her blood boiling, so she took a deep breath in an attempt to calm herself. "Stefan and I made a momentary deal. I wouldn't get in his way for now and Lydia's debt is paid. Well, I'm starting to feel like the 'for now' part of the deal is over, so now I want to know what we're going to do about keeping Stefan the hell away from Elena."

"I don't think we can do that. We can't control him, Blair." Zach knew this wasn't what she wanted to hear but it was hard to consider an alternative. "I think the best thing to do is stay close to Elena. I'd say stay close to Stefan to keep an eye on him as well, but I understand how that might not be pleasant for you."

Blair crossed her arms and pressed her lips together while she processed this. "Well, then I guess you'll understand why we're moving out."

"Actually, we're not," Vivian countered. "Zach and I have discussed this and we're not going anywhere. It's not ideal, but it's for the best."

Blair couldn't believe her mother was saying this. "For the best? You've _got_ to be kidding me. How could you possibly know what's for the best for me, huh?"

"Because I know everything about you, Blair." Vivian was referring to a spell that was cast when Blair was a child. "Remember?"

Blair sounded pretty childish when she said, "I'm older than the two of you combined, so I should out rank you both."

"And yet we're pulling the 'we're adults and you're the teenager in this lifetime' card so you have to listen to us." Zach placed his hands on Blair's shoulders and assured her, "I'll do what I can to keep Stefan in check, okay? He won't be a Ripper on my watch."

Blair knew she was fighting a losing battle so she caved. "If this goes south then I'm going to kick your ass."

Zach had no doubt about this. "Noted."

* * *

That night, Blair went upstairs to Stefan's attic bedroom and knocked on the open doorframe. "You could have led with 'Hi, we're roomies', this morning."

Stefan closed his journal and faced her. "I was planning to, but your introduction didn't leave much room for that. I believe there was a threat to my life, the Lydia revelation, and negotiations. At what time could I have squeezed in the 'we're roomies' part?"

Blair opened her mouth to say something snarky but found she couldn't. "Point taken."

"For the record, I don't think it's wise for you and your mother to live here." Stefan was serious about that.

"I happen to agree but it's not like we don't know what you are and hell, I'm the Cursed One, so it's we've all got our baggage." Blair found herself smiling a bit as she leaned against the doorway. "In any other circumstance I'd say it's good to see you."

"You smile like her, you know," Stefan pointed out with a smile of his own.

Blair knew that he was telling her that she smiled like Lydia and it wasn't surprising to hear. "Goodnight, Stefan."

As she walked away, he said, "Goodnight, Blair," and made sure to add in, "It's good to see you, too."

Blair stopped, smiled again, and went down to her room before memories from the past made her do something that couldn't be undone in the present.

* * *

Vivian sat in the Gilbert's living room with Jenna and a glass of wine in hand while she vented. "So now Zach's nephew is living with him which is making things very complicated."

"Why would that complicate things?" Jenna asked while she refilled their glasses. "What am I missing here?"

Vivian had been pretty vague during her venting process, but now it was time to get a bit more specific. "Blair and Stefan…know each other."

Jenna's eyes went wide. She set her glass down on the table and scooted closer to Vivian. "Is Stefan _the_ guy?"

Vivian shook her head as she leaned forward to set her glass on the table as well. "No. I still don't know who _the_ guy is."

Jenna narrowed her eyes at Vivian suspiciously. "I still don't get what I'm missing."

Vivian should have planned out this conversation better before opening up her mouth. "Well, look at the time. I better get back."

Jenna wasn't about to let her get away that easily and followed Vivian to the door. "Oh, no, missy. What are you not telling me?"

Vivian turned around and said dramatically. "I am madly in love with you!" She placed the back of her hand on her forehead and gasped, still being dramatic. "There. I said it."

Jenna crossed her arms, looking unamused. "That's old news, Viv. Now spill it."

Vivian got her opening to leave thanks to Elena coming downstairs saying she was going to the Grille. While Jenna was talking to her, Vivian went out the door with a wiggled finger wave, not saying another word. However, she did laugh when she heard Jenna call out that next time, she wanted details.

* * *

It was late, Blair knew this, but it didn't stop her from going over to the Gilbert's house. She sat on the porch swing and texted Elena to come down. After a few minutes, Elena walked out the front door and sat next to her. "Thanks for coming."

"All you texted was 'Swing'," Elena replied with a soft expression. "I know things are bad when you only use one-word sentences. What's going on?"

"Why did we push each other away?" Blair looked at Elena for just a moment before continuing. "Why did we push each other away when we needed each other most?"

Elena didn't have an answer for her. "I don't know. I guess…we were both grieving and maybe…"

Blair could guess what Elena was going to say next just by the look on her face. "And maybe it hurt even more to be around each other." Blair faced her now. "The person we needed the most was a constant reminder of what was lost."

That was pretty much what Elena was thinking. "Yeah," Elena sniffled. "Something like that."

Blair held onto Elena's hand, saying, "I miss you, too, Ellie."

Elena hugged Blair at that moment, feeling like a she'd found a part of herself that was missing. "I don't want to push you away anymore."

"Me either." Blair pulled back and wiped the tears from her eyes. There was a part of her that wanted to tell Elena to stay away from Stefan – that it'd be safer for her that way – but she couldn't. Opening up that can of worms wasn't worth it – not yet.

"Are we okay now?" Elena wanted to be sure that they were getting back to the way they were before.

Blair snapped out of her thoughts and smiled. "Yeah, we're okay now. Goodnight, Elena." Since there was nothing else to say, Blair left the porch and started walking home. With every step she took, she thought about the baggage her lives carried from one to the next, knowing she'd never be able to get rid of it.

* * *

The following evening, Blair was getting ready for the back to school party at the Falls. She was going through her clothes for something to wear but couldn't decide on anything, which wasn't like her. "Dammit," she seethed, knowing why her mind was out of whack. Her past life was filtering through and when that happened things always changed about her.

Blair threw on her robe in defeat and after tying it she fell face down on her bed with a groan of frustration. At the sound of someone knocking on her door, she grumbled, "Go away."

"Are you okay in there?" Stefan asked from the other side of the door.

Blair sighed heavily and went to answer the door. "I'm fine. Just having a frustration hurricane."

Stefan saw the clothes thrown around the room and nodded. "I can see that. Fashion crisis?"

"I blame you," Blair stated as she pointed at him and moved into her closet. "Lydia could never decide on anything either. Lexi always had to dress her."

"I seem to remember helping her out a time or two myself," Stefan stated as he grabbed a few things for her to try.

"Like with that pea green dress?" Blair laughed. She walked out of her closet and found Stefan standing there holding out a pair of black denim short-shorts, black leggings, and a deep green tank top with a 'well?' expression on his face. "These will work." Blair took the outfit from him and went back into her closet to change. "I can never escape the green with you, can I?"

"At least it doesn't look like pea soup," Stefan called back jokingly then got serious. "I assume you've seen the newspapers."

"I have. And I know it's not you – not your style. No offense." Blair walked over to her bed and grabbed the leather jacket that was hanging on the bedpost.

Stefan adjusted the collar once she put it on and spoke sincerely. "Thank you for giving me a chance."

Blair cleared her throat and ran a brush through her hair. "Just because I'm doing it, doesn't mean I like it."

Stefan didn't need her to tell him that. "I know. But still, thank you."

Blair had enough of this serious stuff. "You can repay me by giving me a ride to the party."

"No date?" Stefan found that surprising.

"No date," Blair concurred. "I always seem to go for all the wrong people, so dating really isn't my strong suite in this lifetime."

"You should have Elena set you up," Stefan teased as they left the house together. "Then we could double-date."

"You're just asking to be punched, aren't you?" Blair laughed as he closed the door behind them.

Meanwhile, Vivian and Zach were sitting in the living room listening to their exchange. With a sigh, Zach went to get them a couple drinks and asked, "Do I need to worry about them?"

"Stefan, no. Blair…maybe." Vivian hated it, but it could be true.

Zach handed her a glass of bourbon. "Why Blair and not Stefan?"

Vivian took a long drink before answering with, "Because Blair remembers the past, but Stefan doesn't know it's her."

* * *

"Now this is where we depart," Blair said with an elaborate bow once they arrived at the party. "You go find Elena and I'm going to get _very_ drunk."

"Is that such a good idea?" Stefan sounded a bit concerned about that.

"Awww, you still care." After her 'how thoughtful' tone, her face hardened a bit. "Save it."

Stefan sighed as Blair turned around and walked away. Despite how familiar she was to him, she was just as different. If he wanted to get some sort of friendship with her back, he was clearly going to have to work at it.

Blair didn't look back to Stefan as she went straight to the beer. She was just about to snag a bottle when Tyler's hand reached out and got it first. "Seriously?" she scoffed with an eye roll and went to grab another, only to have him grab that one instead. "You do realize that you only have two hands, right?"

"True, but there are any number of people I could pass these off to and keep on grabbing another. I could do this all night, Han." Tyler smirked, baiting her once again.

"Why don't you go run off with your girlfriend and leave me alone?" Blair raised her brow and pointed. "She's right over there." When Tyler was distracted, she grabbed the beers from his hands and backed up in triumph. "Oh, so easy, Lockwood. Just like when your shoes were untied. Right?" This time the smirk was on her face. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to find my drinking buddy."

Of course, Blair didn't have drinking buddy but thankfully she spotted Jeremy and that took care of that. "Hello, drinking buddy," she greeted as she held out a bottle to him.

"I don't think my sister would be very happy with you encouraging me to drink." Jeremy took the bottle anyway because he didn't care what Elena thought.

"She's too busy being distracted by the new guy." Blair stepped onto the seat of the picnic table Jeremy was sitting on and sat down beside him. "Besides, she knows I've always been a horrible influence. This is nothing new."

"You're not that bad," Jeremy countered, taking a sip of his beer.

"Oh, I can be _very bad_ ," Blair laughed, doing the same.

Jeremy took that differently than she probably intended and said with a suggestive manner, "Oh, really?"

Based of his expression, Blair could tell his mind was in the gutter. "That, too, but that's something you'll never experience for yourself."

Jeremy placed his hand on his chest, saying, "Knife in the heart."

"You'll get over it. You do have your sights on Vicki after all." Blair regretted saying that as soon as she saw Tyler and Vicki go off together. "Despite her having sights on someone else."

Jeremy saw them go off as well and scoffed. "He's a douche."

Blair couldn't argue with him there. "True. And yet she's with him. You can't force people to feel things, Jeremy."

"You don't know what it was like between us over the Summer," Jeremy defended. "She's into me. I know it."

Blair patted him on the back. "Good luck, Jer."

"That's all you have to say?" Jeremy asked as she hopped off the table.

"What else is there for me to say? I mean, I've only ever have _one_ relationship, right?" Blair grinned because she was using his previous words against her.

Jeremy didn't miss a beat by doing the same. "Yeah, that I know of!"

That didn't stop Blair from leaving. She waved behind her, saying, "See you around, Jeremy." What she was going to do next or who she was going to see for that matter, she had no clue. This was yet another high school party – in other words, it was pointless. "Teenagers," she muttered to herself, "Life after life."

"Having fun?" Bonnie asked when Blair arrived at the keg. Despite having Elena to link them, she and Blair were more acquaintances than friends. Bonnie has tried more than once to be her friend, but Blair never wanted anything to do with her.

"Oh, yeah, I just live for parties," was Blair's sarcastic reply. Every time she was a bitch to Bonnie, she felt bad about it, but it was for the best – at least that's what Blair told herself. Truth, Blair has crossed paths with Bennett witches before and she'd rather not have history repeat in that department, so she did her best to avoid Bonnie as much as possible.

Before Bonnie could say anything else, Blair said, "Later," and walked away with no real destination in mind. Not that it really mattered because Jeremy and Elena came rushing out of the woods with a bleeding Vicki. As soon as she heard Elena say that something bit her neck, Blair went straight over to Stefan who was standing in the crowd.

Blair pulled on Stefan's arm to get him to look at her. She didn't say a word but her expression said it all – she wanted to know what the hell was going on.

Stefan didn't answer her other than guiding her away through the crowd. When they got to the car, that's when he said something. "Do you remember my brother?"

"You mean Damon?" Her voice was filled with spite at his name. "How could I forget?" Blair froze as she opened the door and gasped, " _ **No**_."

This time it was Stefan's face that said it all and Blair did not like what the answer was.

* * *

Neither Stefan or Blair said a word the entire way to the Boarding House. When they arrived, he brought Blair into the study where Zach was. "Where's Vivian?" Stefan wanted to know.

"She's out," Zach answered. "Why? What's going on?"

"There was another attack tonight and it wasn't me." With that information out of the way, he pushed Blair forward a bit. "Try to convince her to find somewhere else to stay tonight Somewhere safer."

As Stefan rushed off, Blair called out, "You do realize you could have kicked me out of the car at any time and not have brought me here, right?"

Zach set his pen on the desk while Blair plopped herself into the chair across from him. "Please tell me it's not Damon."

" _Well_ ," Blair began in a drawn-out way, "nothing's been confirmed, but come on. Who else could it be? The spell isn't protecting Elena anymore, so it's only a matter of time before people connected to Katherine start coming out of the woodwork. Which is why we need to find another witch. Something that could have already been done if I wasn't kept out of the freaking loop."

"I happen to agree that your mother didn't think the threat through, but that's not the current problem at hand. If Damon is here…" Zach wasn't able to get his thought out, thanks to Blair.

"If Damon is here then we'll deal with it. I've killed Vampires before, I can do it again." Blair was very sure of herself about this – At least she was until Zach made a point.

"When was the last time you killed a Vampire?" Zach didn't need an answer to that. "Don't tell me, it's just like riding a bike?"

Blair crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at him. "I was a very skilled Hunter in a past life, thank you very much."

"Remembering how your past life did it and doing it yourself are two very different things." Zach was worried that she'd get too cocky again. "Don't try biting off more than you can chew."

"You could simply ask me to be careful, but you love your sayings." Blair was quiet for a moment before making something clear. "For the record, I blame you and my mother for this. Neither of them would have shown up if the spell was still in place. So, yeah, I blame you both."

Zach took a deep breath, leaned back in his chair, and didn't say a word.

Blair was about to say something but the loud crashes coming from outside prevented her from doing so. Her eyes widened a bit because she instantly thought that it must mean Damon was there.

Zach shot her a 'don't go out there' look, but she ignored it completely and darted for the door.

After his scuffle with Stefan, Damon entered the house saying, "Sorry, Zach," only to come face to face with a young woman he'd never seen before. "You're not Zach. Or if you are, your doctors deserve awards."

"Move," Blair said firmly and tried to get around him, only for him to side-step and block her path.

"Gladly. As soon as you tell me who you are and what you're doing in my house?" Damon grinned as he looked her over. "Not that I'm complaining."

"I'm Blair and this is my house, too. I live here. Now **move**." Blair crossed her arms and stared him down. She had a couple past lives that had a bone to pick with him, but this was definitely not the time.

"As you wish." Damon stepped aside with a slight bow and extended arm towards the door. "It's lovely to meet you Blair. We'll definitely be seeing more than one another."

Blair rolled her eyes and scoffed in disgust as she walked out of the house and found Stefan laying on the ground and breathing heavily. Without missing a beat, she laid down beside him.

Her actions confused him. "What are you doing?"

"You're on the ground after getting your ass kicked by your big brother. But now if anyone comes by, they'll just think we're chillin." Blair patted his arm in a comforting manner. "We'll get him next time."

"Next time," Stefan agreed and after a moment he lifted his head to say, "You stole this 'chillin' idea from that doctor show, didn't you?"

"Don't ruin the moment, Stefan," she scolded. "I'm trying to be friendly here. So shut up and accept it."

"I don't remember you being this bossy," Stefan chuckled then groaned a bit.

"The sooner you stop remembering who I was and pay attention to who I am now, the better off we'll be." Blair got to her feet with a bit of an 'oomph' and held out her hand for Stefan.

Stefan took her hand and got to his feet. Now that Damon was in the picture he didn't think it was safe for her there anymore. "You shouldn't live here anymore."

"Damon's here because of Elena, isn't he?" When Stefan nodded, Blair added in, "Then I'm not going anywhere."

"You're stubborn, you know that?" Stefan couldn't help but compare her to Lydia in that moment.

"Well, look at that," Blair said in a joking thoughtful tone, "not _everything_ about me is different." She walked back towards the house with a, "Huh, who knew?"

* * *

End Season 1 Episode 1


	2. Dick

Blair was making pancakes in the Boarding House's kitchen before school. She turned up the radio when one of her favorite songs started playing and danced along to it. After a spin she saw Stefan standing in the doorway, looking amused. "You just going to stand there or are you going to join me?" she laughed.

"I'm more interested in the pancakes than the dancing." Stefan went over to Blair and took the spatula from her.

Blair wasn't going to let him get away with that. "One song isn't going to kill you." She took the spatula from him, set it on the counter, then took his hands and started dancing with him.

Stefan stood still for a moment then caved. He started dancing along with Blair and at one point spun her around and dipped her. This dance move made them laugh so much but that came to an end when Damon entered the kitchen.

"Now isn't this cute?" Damon waved his finger between them. "You should try out for that star dancing show or something."

Blair rolled her eyes and went back to the pancakes that were done now. "Pancakes anyone?"

"No thanks, toots," Damon smirked. "I'm already full."

Blair narrowed her eyes at him as he left the kitchen and turned upon her heels to face Stefan. "Is that his way of saying he's killed someone again?" When Stefan didn't answer, she scoffed heavily. "Are blood bags below him or something?"

Stefan didn't want to get into that so he handed Blair a bag of a different variety – her backpack for school. "I feel like walking to school. Care to join me?"

Blair made sure the stove was off then took her backpack from him. "I'll eat on the way." She snagged a few pancakes from the stack and walked out the kitchen door with him.

As they walked, Stefan asked her something he'd been thinking about. "Where's your mom?" It'd been a few days since he last saw Vivian at the House.

"She poofs every once and awhile." Blair was pretty used to it because it literally happened every month. "She calls it her 'me time'." Air-quotes were definitely used to describe that. "It didn't used to bother me too much because I had my dad when she was away but…" Blair took a deep breath, trying to keep her emotions in check.

"Elena said he died in the accident that killed her parents." Stefan knew more than that but kept it to himself.

"Yeah, he did." Blair cleared her throat, looking down at the pancakes in her hands. "I must have gotten knocked out or something because I don't even know how I got out of the van. All I know is Elena and I survived and our parents didn't." A wry chuckle escaped her before she added in, "My mom would have been with them, too, but it was one of her 'me time' nights. The thing that bugs the hell out of me about her is the same thing that saved her. Ironic, isn't it?"

"Irony is a cruel mistress, indeed." Stefan broke off a piece of pancake and popped it into his mouth to change the subject. "Not bad."

"How can you even tell?" Blair laughed, taking a bite as well. "All you eat is Bambi."

"Actually, I prefer Thumper." Stefan sounded so serious with his words even though he was kidding.

Blair did take him seriously and answered the same. "Good. I hate bunnies. Those things are freaking evil!"

Stefan couldn't keep up the seriousness any longer and laughed. "What?"

Blair took another bite of pancake and spoke with a mouthful. "Don't even get me started."

Stefan couldn't think of anything to say to that because all that went through his mind was how there was someone he knew in the past who also hated rabbits – Someone who used to mean the world to him.

* * *

Blair and Stefan parted ways when they arrived at school. She wanted to find Matt for an update on Vicki, but ended up finding Jeremy outside instead. He looked like he was on a warpath and knew this couldn't be good. "Where's the fire, Jeremy?"

"That – that dick!" Jeremy shouted as he threw his hand out to where Tyler stood in the distance. "He hasn't even bothered to check on Vicki. How he treats her – I could kill him."

"I'm all for being your alibi, but honestly I'd rather I did it for you." Blair was serious…sort of. She would kill for Jeremy, that part was true, but she couldn't see herself killing Tyler.

Jeremy scoffed a chuckle at her words. "You're right. You are a horrible influence."

"I _told_ you," Blair answered dramatically. "Now how about you get your ass to class before Jenna gets called in for a parent – teacher conference." The look on Jeremy's face told her it was already too late for that, so she added in, "Okay – So she doesn't get called in for _another_ parent – teacher conference."

Jeremy rolled his eyes and headed towards the school but Blair didn't.

Blair took her backpack off her shoulders and held onto it as she stormed over to Tyler and the group of girls he was standing with near the football field. Once she was close enough, she dropped her bag and shoved him into the chain-link fence.

"What the hell, Han?" Tyler seriously had no idea what her deal was.

"I've put up with your crap for long enough, Lockwood," she shot back as she pressed a finger into his chest. "You better start treating Vicki better and start giving a damn about her. If your stunted emotional growth keeps you from doing that then let her be with someone who can."

"What the hell do you care?" Tyler scoffed, shoving her hand away. "You got a thing for her or something?"

"I _care_ because I know what it's like to be treated like crap by someone who's supposedly loves you. I won't stand for that happening to _**anybody**_ else. Get that?" Blair forcefully 'booped' him on the nose before storming off, scooping up her bag as she did. She didn't get very far before turning around to walk backwards and throw him a pair of middle fingers. With that done, she said under her breath, "Dick," and went to class.

* * *

"Remind me never to get on your _bad_ side," Jeremy joked as he leaned against the row of lockers beside Blair's later that day. He heard all about her exchange with Tyler – hell, the whole school had.

"My temper got away from me. I really thought I was getting better at keeping it in check." Her temper worried her sometimes because that wasn't an attribute she could blame on a past life – it was all Blair.

"You're fierce," Jeremy countered. "That's a good thing." When Blair closed her locker and walked away, he caught up with her. "Thanks for sticking up for her. I know you and Vicki aren't really friends."

"We may not be in the same circle but she's important to you and to Matt, so that makes her important by extension." Blair didn't have a better explanation than that. Granted she and Matt kinda drifted apart over the years, but when they were younger they were pretty close, so it still applied.

"You were talking about – you know – when you said you knew what it was like, weren't you?" Jeremy caught her furrowed brow and explained. "Everyone's talking about that part, too."

Blair sighed heavily. "Of course they are."

"Well," Jeremy urged, "were you?"

"Yeah," Blair admitted since Jeremy was the only person she ever told. "Yeah, I was."

"You deserve better." This certainly wasn't the first time Jeremy has said that to her.

Blair couldn't argue with him there. "If I ever end up with my soulmate, you will be the first person I tell."

The bell rang, cutting their conversation short since Jeremy knew she'd actually go to class, but he made sure to say, "I'm holding you to that."

* * *

After school, Blair was intending to walk home but that plan was stopped before it even began because she spotted her mother's car in the parking lot and her mother leaning against it. "Speak of the devil," was Blair's greeting as she approached. "I was just talking about you this morning."

"We need to talk, sweets." Vivian opened up the driver's side door. "Get in the car."

"I was actually thinking of walking," Blair countered since she was still a bit peeved from her mother's latest disappearing act.

"Get in the damn car, Blair." Vivian's patience was clearly pretty thin. "We need to talk."

Blair took off her backpack with a heavy sigh and did as requested. Once she slammed the door closed, she asked, "What did you want to talk about, Mom?"

Vivian gripped the steering wheel. "Damon Salvatore is in town."

Blair gasped like she didn't know that already. "He is?! How? When? What?!"

Vivian glared at her daughter. "Cut the sarcasm. This is serious. He's killed you once – what's to stop him from killing you again?"

"I'm really starting to regret the whole mind meld thing we did to share my past lives' memories. If you and dad just believed me when I was a kid it could have spared me from all this 'I know you better than you know yourself' hullabaloo. Next time I'll be sure not to mention being the Cursed One to my parents." Blair crossed her arms and acted like a sullen teenager.

"Next time there won't be a Doppelganger in your life so there won't be a reason to," Vivian retorted then groaned because they got off topic. "Stop trying to change the subject. Damon Salvatore is a problem."

Blair looked out the window, shaking her head incredulously. "You know, that's real rich coming from you. You _knew_ the Witch died that was masking Elena from anyone who knew Katherine – me being the exception, but that's not the point. You knew how dangerous this could get and ignored it. Why the hell did you ignore it?"

Vivian knew it was time to come clean a bit. "That kind of magic…it's _strong_ magic. I only knew one Witch who was capable of casting it and keeping their mouth shut about the existence of a Doppelganger. I'm sorry for thinking she'd be safer if we did nothing than try to find another Witch who might not be so tight lipped about protecting her. Be angry with me all you want, but I thought I was doing the right thing."

Blair couldn't fault her mother too badly after hearing her explanation. In a way, Blair could understand where her mother was coming from and understood the logic behind it. "You were stuck between a rock and a hard place."

Vivian nodded with a wave of her hand. "Exactly."

"You still should have told me. I could have been able to do…something. I don't know what, but it would have been better than being blindsided." Her mother keeping things from her was something that certainly didn't sit well with Blair. "That's it, right? No more secrets?"

Vivian held onto Blair's hands and swore, "No more secrets." Fortunately for her, Blair couldn't see that was a lie.

* * *

After being dropped off at the House, Blair curled up on the couch with her homework. History was always the most amusing for her because a bunch of the stuff she actually lived through and the inaccuracies at times were downright comical.

Damon saw her in the living room, so he used his vampire speed to get to the couch, leaned over it, and asked, "Whatcha reading?"

Blair jumped about fifty feet because she didn't hear him come in. "Holy shit, Damon. Don't do that!"

"Why not? Especially now that I know how much fun it is." Damon swung his legs over the couch and landed on the cushions beside her. "I've been trying to figure you out. Why would Zach let you live here while my brother and I are in residence? You know what we are, that's a given, but what makes him think you could possibly protect yourself? I could bite you right now before you could even blink."

Blair wasn't intimidated by him in the least. She sarcastically responded to him, "Kinky." Blair gathered up her things as she continued to speak. "I don't have to explain myself to you, Damon. And neither do Zach or my mother for that matter, so if you want to kill me then go ahead and do it because I'm not going to tell you anything no matter _how_ you ask."

He figured she meant they were on Vervain so he couldn't compel her, but he didn't address that. "You're feisty," Damon made a 'rawr-ing' sound. "I like it."

Blair put her backpack over her shoulder and leaned down to Damon's slouched level. "I don't care," she whispered in a serious tone and walked in the direction of her room.

Damon made another 'rawr' sound as she walked away. He believed they would certainly have some fun together – if not in one form than another.

Blair didn't go up to her room and went to Stefan's instead. She closed the door behind her in an exasperated manner. "Your brother is going to be the death of me – _again_." Blair dropped her bag and went over to his bed to faceplant right beside him where he was writing.

Stefan closed his journal and set it on his nightstand. "Again?"

"He's killed a past life." Blair lifted her head to look at him, despite all the hair in front of her face. "Or two. I can't remember at the moment – too stressed out."

"Not to take away from your theatrics here, but have I ever killed you?" Stefan actually worried about that.

"Not that I can remember." Blair was face down on the bed again so her voice was muffled. "But there are enough lives to go around. I'm sure you'll get a chance eventually."

Stefan chuckled as he rolled Blair over and helped her into a sitting position. "What did Damon do now?"

"He's curious – which isn't exactly a bad thing because if he's curious about me then he might take his sights off Elena." Blair ran her hands through her hair to get it out of her face then dropped them with a huff. A bit of a whiney tone came out when she said, "It's just annoying as hell. He's going to piss me off and I know I'm going to say or do something I'm going to regret. I know it. My temper is _bad_ this lifetime. Seriously, it's not like I have a short fuse – it's like I got no fuse at all."

Stefan thought she was being a bit more dramatic than she needed to be but knew better than to say that to her. Instead, he assured her of something. "We will deal with the Damon situation when the time comes. Until then just try to avoid him. I don't want Damon setting his sights on you, too."

"I can handle Damon," Blair retorted. "It's Elena I'm worried about."

Stefan was about to say something but stopped because he heard a voice coming from downstairs. "She's here."

"Who's here?" Blair didn't even get a chance to finish her sentence before Stefan 'Vamp-sped' his way out of the room. It took her a second to realize that he meant Elena was there. She gasped, grabbed her bag, and ran downstairs. By the time she got there, though, Elena was already gone and Stefan was having a bit of a conversation with his brother.

Instead of going into the living room where the brothers were talking, Blair stayed around the corner and just listened. Damon was asking Stefan if he was successful at the hospital. That led Blair to believe Stefan compelled Vicki to forget what happened that night in the woods. They didn't stay on the Vicki topic for long when Stefan changed the subject.

"How long was Elena here?" Stefan wanted to know.

"Were you worried, Stefan? Scared we may be doomed to repeat the past?" Damon used his hand as he spoke. "Of course, in order to repeat it properly we would need someone to fill the role of Minnie."

"Leave Mina out of this." Stefan was very serious about that.

Damon wasn't going to leave it alone. "It is surprising, really, how you're doing this whole high school act to get close to someone who looks just like Katherine, when one would think you would look for someone like Mina." Damon smirked, "Oh, I get it. Is Elena your consolation prize?"

Blair took that moment to make herself known before things got too heated. She entered the room with crossed arms, looking quite unamused. "What's your deal, Damon? What game are you playing?"

Damon turned his smirk upon her. "Guess you'll have to wait and see."

* * *

The next day, Blair helped hand out programs in the town square for the whole Night of the Comet thing going on that night. Everything was pretty calm until Bonnie and Elena came over to her.

"Spill it," Bonnie requested, clearly expecting an answer.

Blair's brows raised quite a bit because she had zero clue what they were talking about. "Mind pulling me onto your thought train? Because I think we're at completely different stations."

This time it was Elena who answered. "What's going on with Stefan? He's got a brother that he doesn't even mention? _And_ an ex? What do you know?"

Blair laughed and handed out another program to a passerby. "What makes you think I know anything?"

"You _live_ there," Bonnie pointed out. "Duh!"

"Just because I live there, doesn't mean I actually talk to them." Blair retorted. "You're barking up the wrong tree for information." She wiggled the collection of fliers in her hand. "Now, if you'll excuse me I have to hand the rest of these out. I am determined to hand out more than Caroline."

Before Bonnie or Elena could stop her, Blair turned around and went over to the other side of the Square. If either of them tried to approach then she'd use more evasive maneuvers if necessary.

"Since when do you avoid your friends?" Vivian asked as she went over to her daughter.

"Since they started wanting insider details about Stefan." Blair handed Vivian another flier just to get rid of it.

Vivian didn't bother reading the program and shoved it in her purse. "I'm assuming you're not telling them anything?"

Blair didn't even dignify that with a verbal response – her face said it all before she addressed something else. "See, this is another reason why I think we should move out. If for nothing else than to avoid questions like this. And what's to stop them from coming by the House since I live there?" Blair took a dig at her mother with her next comment. "Hey, maybe we should move to wherever you disappear to every month."

Vivian chuckled, but she was not amused. "I'm pulling the Mom-Card now, so you're going to listen to me. These are the circumstances – suck it up and deal with it." She scoffed a bit. "For someone who is – who knows how old – you certainly act like a teenager."

"I've had a lot of experience." Blair left the topic at that because more people were coming around. The last thing either of them needed was for someone to hear what they were talking about. "You gonna be here for the Comet?"

"I'll be working, actually," Vivian stated proudly. "The job interview with the Mayor I told you about – Well, I got the job."

"And he wants you to come in tonight?" Blair thought there was something fishy there.

Vivian could see what Blair was thinking. "Get your mind out of the gutter and have some faith in your mother. Yes, he wants me to start tonight because there are things that need to be taken care of before tomorrow. You have fun…but not _too_ much fun."

"You too." Blair grinned with mock innocence before going on her way.

"You're a mouthy little thing, you know that?" Vivian called after her daughter.

Blair turned around, walking backwards, and shrugged with a laughed, "It must be genetic!"

When Vivian heard that, the first thing that popped into her mind was that wasn't the only thing that's genetic between them.

* * *

That night, the Square was full of people wanting to see the Comet. Caroline was handing out candles and upon seeing Blair, she went over to her with an extra candle. "You must be pretty proud of yourself."

Blair took the candle and lit it with Caroline's. "I'm proud of a lot of things, so you're gonna have to be a teensy bit more specific."

"You beat me," Caroline admitted. "You handed out more programs which will give you extra brownie points for Miss Mystic." She was clearly annoyed because of this.

"Oh, I didn't do it for the points. I did it to get under your skin." Blair smiled perkily with a bit of a head bob.

Caroline couldn't believe Blair said that. Well, she could, but it wasn't expected – which upon reflection, it should have been. "You're a bitch, you know that?"

"Why, yes. Yes, I do." Blair held her head high as she walked with Caroline over to the Grille where they were meeting up with the others. "It's one of the things I'm proud of."

Caroline rolled her eyes at this. "I'm sure it is."

Frenemies was the best word to describe Blair's relationship with Caroline. There were times they'd scratch each other's eyes out and yet they were there for each other if needed. And they were always competing with each other over the most random things at times – That was their thing.

They just reached the table inside the Grille when Jeremy rushed over, asking, "Has anyone seen Vicki?"

"You're her stalker," Tyler shot back, "you tell us."

Jeremy ignored the remarks. "I can't find her."

"She probably found someone else to party with." Tyler didn't sound that concerned. "Sorry, pill pusher, guess you've been replaced."

Blair moved to the spot beside Tyler and demanded, "Tyler, shut up."

Elena, from the seat on the other side of him, wanted to know what Tyler's comment was for. "What's with the pill pusher?"

Tyler ignored Blair and answered Elena. "Ask him."

"You wanna do this right now?" Jeremy was not in the mood for this crap.

Elena looked right at her brother. "Are you dealing?" She then turned to Blair. "Did you know he was dealing?"

Tyler intended on adding more fuel to the fire. "She's never gonna go for you."

Jeremy didn't think twice about letting the cat out of the bag. "She already did. Over and over and over again."

"Where's a beer when I need one?" Blair muttered, knowing this wasn't going to end well.

Just about everyone in the group made comments about not believing Jeremy, which made him say, "It's true. And I didn't even have to force her into it."

Now that caught Blair's attention. "Say what now?"

Matt tuned right in as well. "What the hell is he talking about, Ty?"

Tyler was quick to answer, saying seriously. "Nothing, man. Just ignore him, he's a punk."

"And you're a dick." Blair didn't miss a beat with that one.

Matt had enough of this. "How about everyone just shuts the hell up and help me find my sister?"

"Will there be duct tape involved?" Tyler asked, looking at Blair. "Because that's the only way to keep her mouth shut."

Blair's blood boiled at that comment. She was about to punch Tyler but Elena got in the way. " **Move** ," she demanded of her friend.

"And witness attempted murder?" Elena asked incredulously as she grabbed Blair's arm and pulled her away. "I don't think so."

Blair took her arm from Elena's grip and held up her hands in surrender. "I'm fine. Okay? Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to look for Vicki far away from the rest of the group."

Keeping her word, Blair left the Grille and started looking around for Vicki.

* * *

When Blair heard that Vicki was found and safe, she headed back home. With a beer bottle in hand, she sat out on the patio and looked up to the sky. "Hocus pocus bibilee bocus," she muttered to herself since she knew some major Witchy mojo could be channeled through the Comet.

"Are you a Witch in this life?" Stefan teased as he joined her. He had two glasses of bourbon in his hand and gave one to her. "Thought you might like something stronger."

"You read my mind." Blair accepted the glass, clinked it with his, then took a sip. When Stefan sat on the brick wall near her, she asked, "Who's Minnie? I heard you and Damon talking about her earlier and that reminded me of when you mentioned her in passing to Lydia." This was low and she knew it since she knew exactly who Minnie was, but Blair wanted to hear him say it.

Stefan took a drink from his glass before answering. There was a bit of a melancholy smile on his face when he answered her. "Mina Pryce. She, uh, used to live at the original Boarding House. Minnie was my best friend. Everyone thought we were going to marry – even I did. But then…"

Blair finished his sentence for him because she knew that was the case. "Katherine came along."

Stefan nodded. "Exactly." He finished off his drink and asked her curiously, "Who were you in 1864? You know my history with Katherine but not Mina?"

Blair downed her glass and got to her feet. "A girl's gotta have some secrets." This was certainly not the time to tell him who she was in 1864. Besides, she already promised herself never to tell him.

There was just something about the way she said that that made Stefan say, "You don't remember, do you?"

That wasn't the case by far, but she still answered with, "Memories get fuzzy after awhile." Which was true, but not where Mina was concerned. "Goodnight, Stefan."

Stefan raised his glass to her. "Goodnight, Blair."

After dropping the cup off in the kitchen, she went up to her room. Blair locked her door and flipped the carpet off the floor. After getting on her knees, she pulled up a board and reached down for the leather pouch within. Blair held it in her hands for a few moments before pulling out what was inside.

Her fingers traced over the image in her hand of Stefan in 1864 and beside him, Mina Pryce – One of Blair's past lives. When Blair realized she was crying, she put the photograph back into the pouch and returned it to the floor.

With everything back to the way it was, Blair went over to the vanity and looked at herself in the mirror, saying to her reflection the words her mother spoke earlier that day. "These are the circumstances – suck it up and deal with it." Yeah, easier said than done.

* * *

End Episode 2


	3. Wonderland

"Where is it?" Blair thought aloud as she looked behind the sofa pillows in the living room.

Zach entered with a cup of coffee in his hand. "Missing something?"

"I can't find my History homework." Blair was starting to get irritated now.

"And you're worried about this, why?" Zach figured she had a lot more important things to be concerned about than a missing homework assignment.

Blair threw one of the pillows on a nearby chair. "Because Tanner is an ass. If he gets on my case again, I am going to snap. My temper has gotten worse lately, in case you haven't noticed."

Zach brought his mug to his mouth with a chuckled, "Oh, I've noticed." He should have remembered that she had ammo in the form of sofa pillows that he presently had to dodge because she threw one right at his head. Zach missed the attack but his coffee spilled down the front of his shirt. "Thanks."

Blair was laughing at this result. "Not what I was going for, but I'll take it." She was about to give up the search but spotted her folder sticking out of the bookcase. "Ah! There it is."

Zach grabbed a cloth from the drink cart and started dabbing the coffee off his shirt. "How is it you can remember things that happened a century ago but forget where you put something yesterday?"

Blair shoved the folder into her backpack. "Memory is a strange thing. The Curse doesn't help anything either." Her phone beeped which was her cue to get going. "Later, Zach."

"Don't kill anyone," he called out to her, in which she responded with a "Hardy har har," before she walked out the door.

Vivian, having heard this, stepped into the foyer with crossed arms. "Don't kill anyone? Seriously?"

"It was a joke, Vivian. I didn't mean anything by it." Zach walked past her on the way to his room. "She'll be fine."

"Until she's not," Vivian muttered. Her cellphone rang and seeing it was a call from someone she'd been expecting to hear from for awhile now, she answered it without so much as a greeting. This was too important to waste time with something as trivial as 'Hello'. "You got it?...Good. I'm on my way." She ended the call and slipped the cellphone into her pocket. Her hand moved into the inner pocket of her jacket and pulled out a vial of blood.

Vivian looked at the blood and almost swayed from her decision but didn't. The choice between herself and her daughter was a hard one for her but with everything that's happened, it moved her hand. Blair needed this more than she did, which was why last night Vivian sedated Blair in her sleep then drew her blood.

Vivian slipped the vial back into her pocket and walked out the door knowing there was no going back now.

* * *

When Blair got to school, Bonnie practically ran over to her saying that they really needed to talk. "Morning to you, too," was Blair's sarcastic reply.

Bonnie wasn't about to beat around the bush with what she wanted to know. "In all seriousness, Blair, what do you know about Stefan?"

"Didn't I make myself clear the other night?" Blair scoffed and started walking away, but Bonnie was right behind her.

"Please, Blair. If there's anything you know…" Bonnie didn't even get a chance to finish her sentence.

Blair whipped around and made herself abundantly clear. "Bonnie, listen to me loud and clear because I'm not going to say it again. I am _not_ going to be a spy or whatever for insider information about all things Salvatore. I live at the Boarding House, but that's it. Even if I did know something, I wouldn't tell you or Elena or anyone else because it's none of my business. If you, Elena, or anyone else want to know something then ask him. Leave me the hell out of it."

Bonnie scoffed and waved her hand. "You know what, fine. I don't know why I even bother talking to you anymore."

Blair shrugged. "It's a mystery to me." She hoped that would get Bonnie to leave her alone and it did. With relief, she continued walking towards the school.

Her choice of direction led her straight towards Stefan and Elena. Blair hated to admit it, but she _hated_ seeing them together. It brought up too much past crap that she'd spent a long time burying. But now it seemed like the floodgates were open and it was all coming back.

A fierce 'nope' expression spread across her face as she changed directions completely. In this instance, away from the school.

Tyler was getting under Matt's skin by talking about Stefan and Elena but he stopped mid-sentence when he spotted Blair leaving the grounds. "Where's she going?"

"What do you care?" Matt asked as he threw the football back to one of his teammates.

Tyler scoffed, "I don't."

Matt didn't buy it. "Sure. Sure, you don't."

Meanwhile, in the parking lot, Blair spotted Jeremy leaving as well. "Where do you think you're going young man?" She used the most authoritative voice she could muster.

Jeremy pulled the ear buds out of his ears and chuckled. "You skipping?"

"I feel like being bad today." Blair started walking backwards. "So, Jeremy Gilbert, where to?"

Jeremy thought for a second then an idea came to mind. "Wonderland?"

Blair shot both thumbs up in the air. "Wonderland it is!"

* * *

Blair and Jeremy headed to an old, dried up hedge maze behind an abandoned house on the outskirts of town. When they were kids and first discovered the maze, it reminded them of the one belonging to the Queen of Hearts – Hence why they called it Wonderland.

The pair sat in a couple of raggedy lawn chairs that were previously left behind in the dried up, dead vine covered fountain. Blair took a hit of the joint they were sharing and passed it back to him. "So, how are things with Vicki now that everyone knows you two were doing the horizontal hula over the Summer?"

"Honestly, I don't want to talk about Vicki." Jeremy blew out some smoke and handed it back to her. "How about we talk about why you're skipping?"

Blair reached out for the joint. "I told you – I felt like being bad today." When Jeremy pulled it from her reach and gave her a bit of a look, she sighed. "Okay, there's this guy I like but he's clearly interested in another girl and I just didn't want to deal with it today. Satisfied? I'm experiencing boy drama." A disgusted expression came to her face as soon as she said those words. "Ugh, saying that tasted like vinegar."

Jeremy laughed and returned the joint to her. "You going to tell me who the guy is?" He scoffed incredulously when she shook her head. "Okay, you told me about _the guy_ but not who you're skipping school because of?"

Blair was holding in the hit as she spoke, so her voice came out weird, "It's complicated."

Jeremy looked like he was going to be sick when he asked her, "It's not Tyler, is it?"

His question made her laugh while inhaling, causing her to cough quite a bit. When Blair could finally breathe again, she answered his question. "Why the hell would you ask me that?"

"Wanted to make sure it wasn't." Jeremy slouched a bit in the chair, thinking aloud, "We should have brought snacks."

Blair happened to agree. "I think I got some jerky in my bag, but I'm honestly not sure how long it's been in there…Or how it even got in there now that I think about it."

They turned to look at each other at the same moment and burst out laughing. When their laughter subsided, she thought of something. "Elena would kill us if she knew what we were doing." That just made them laugh all over again.

"You know, I never understood why people call you Elena's best friend." Jeremy looked at her sincerely. "It always felt like you were more mine."

Blair wasn't sure what to say about that, but on some level she did feel like he had a point. Granted she didn't want to admit it, so she changed the subject. "You're it." Blair patted his head then took off as quickly as she could manage.

"You've got to be kidding," Jeremy laughed because he didn't think either of them would be able to go very fast. When Blair just kept on going, he got up with a groan and went after her. Playing tag in Wonderland was something they hadn't done since they were kids but oddly enough, they both felt better after doing it.

* * *

Vivian leaned against her car at the rest stop with arms crossed in frustration. Her patience was growing thin due to waiting so long for her contact to return with what she was paying a hefty sum for. Well, what she was _trading_ a hefty sum for.

"Finally," she all but seethed when her contact pulled into the parking spot near hers. "What the hell took so long?"

"Hey, my Witch had to hold a séance link to the afterlife thing in order to contact the one who wrote the spell and _then_ convince them to hand it over. It's not as simple as a hop, skip, and a jump." He removed a small manila envelope from his pocket. "It's done. Don't try coming back for another. All memory of the spell was wiped as soon as it was completed."

"I know," Vivian snapped back. "Now give it to me."

He pulled it from her reach a bit. "You remember our terms?"

Vivian's patience was _really_ starting to falter. "The Vampires that killed your sister will be dead the next full moon."

"Good." Now he handed it over.

Vivian snatched it from his hands before he got the chance to take it away again. She opened it and dumped out the contents – A black Claddagh Ring with a matching black stone. "And this will work if she triggers her other curse?"

"As long as she doesn't take it off," he reiterated. "A lot of Wolves would like to get their hands on that. It could make her a target."

"You said this was made with ancient magic, did you not?" When he nodded, she added in, "Then how could they possibly know what it's for?"

He watched her as she returned the ring to the envelope and then her pocket. "I'm curious, how is it going to be explained then?"

"She's the Cursed One." Vivian got into her car and leaned out the window a bit. "Just about everything can be blamed on that."

"Pleasure doing business with you," he called out as she drove off, knowing once she paid her debt they'd never lay eyes on one another again.

* * *

Blair didn't go back to school until it was over and football practice started. Watching football brought her back to a happy memory so she sat on the bleachers with a can of Pringles, munching away. She only took her eyes off the field when she heard someone approaching. Seeing that it was Stefan made her eyes return to the team below.

Stefan sat beside Blair and didn't say anything in case she wanted to speak first. Since she said nothing, he started the conversation. "You weren't in school today. I was worried about you."

"I'm sure you had more important things to think about," Blair countered before popping another chip in her mouth.

Stefan's brow furrowed in thought as he looked at her. There was just something…off. "Are you alright?"

"I'm having a bad day." That was true, and her tone made it clear she wasn't going to elaborate further. Blair moved the chips closer to him in case he wanted to take one. "What are you doing here?"

Stefan accepted one to be friendly and answered her question. "I'm debating whether or not to try out for the team."

"Go for it," Blair replied as she stood and grabbed her bag, suddenly not wanting to watch anymore. "Maybe the team won't suck if you're on it."

Stefan couldn't shake the feeling that there was more going on with her than she was saying. "Blair, what happened?"

Blair continued down the bleachers as she answered him. "Boy drama." Once again, she grimaced at the words. "Yep," Blair said to herself as she left the field, "still taste like vinegar."

She passed cheerleading practice on her way and still couldn't believe she was actually a part of the team last year. Blair was so determined to be Captain just to stick it to Caroline but now she couldn't seem to care less.

"Hey, Blair!" Caroline called out to her as she passed. "Why don't you get over here and show these losers how it's done? I mean, if you're not afraid of messing up. You are a bit out of practice and all."

Blair stopped just to answer her. "This isn't the day to irk me, Caroline."

Caroline crossed her arms as a baiting grin spread across her face. "So you are scared?"

Blair popped another chip in her mouth then dropped her bag where she stood. After tying up her hair, she went to the front of the group.

Caroline grinned as she called out what routine she wanted and then stepped back to watch what she thought would be amusing but Blair didn't miss a beat. In fact, Elena was worse off than Blair was. "Hold on. Elena, sweetie, why don't you just observe for today? And Blair…you're welcome to rejoin the team."

"No thanks." Blair walked away and plucked her bag from the ground. "You should be relieved, Care. I won't be around to gun for your position this year." She gave the group a half salute and kept on walking, eating the Pringles as she went.

Caroline didn't think this went the way she wanted it to, but moved on and went back to directing the cheerleaders.

* * *

Blair was walking home when Vivian pulled up her car and came to a stop beside her. She left the sidewalk and got into the vehicle with a, "Hey, Mom."

"Hi, sweets," Vivian smiled and gave her a small box. "I got you something."

Blair took the box a bit hesitantly. "Why? It's not my birthday or anything."

"Can't a mother get her daughter something nice for the heck of it?" Vivian got a bit excited and urged her to open it. "Come on. Tell me what you think."

Blair thought something was fishy about this but she opened the box anyway. Seeing the ring inside made her gasp. "It's stunning. I—I don't think I've ever seen a stone like this before. Mom, it's too expensive."

"It's a semi-precious stone called black-Kyanite. And don't worry about the price. It's been on a payment plan for awhile now and I just paid off the balance today. It's all good, sweets. I promise." Vivian watched as Blair put it on her finger without further argument – a perfect fit. "I just have one condition – never take it off."

"Why's that a condition?" Blair thought this made things even more suspicious.

Vivian made light of how serious this was and laughed, "Because you lose everything, sweets."

Blair was about to snark back with something but she couldn't because her mother was right about that. This life had a knack of misplacing just about everything. "Point taken." She looked at the ring and smiled wide. "I love it, Mom. Thank you."

Vivian kissed Blair's head before saying, "Let's get something to eat at the Grille, I'm starving. And based off your smell, you probably are too."

Blair laughed a bit loudly at that and Vivian joined suit as she pulled back onto the road to the Grille.

* * *

Blair couldn't remember the last time she had a dinner like this with her mom. There were jokes, happy memories shared, and just an all around nice time. Blair didn't even think there was an ulterior motive or anything to it and just enjoyed the time they shared.

Unfortunately their time together was interrupted by Tyler and Jeremy about to get into a fight. "Oh, no." Blair quickly left her seat and went over to intervene.

Vivian did not like how this could end up – especially if Tyler was involved, so she followed.

Tyler was about to lunge at Jeremy but Matt held him back and Blair stepped protectively in front of Jeremy. "The next time I see you, Gilbert!" Tyler shouted at him.

"No," Jeremy countered, "the next time I see you." He moved forward, only to be stopped by Blair.

" **No** ," Blair firmly stated. "Walk away, Jeremy. He's not worth it."

Jeremy took deep breaths then stormed off out of the Grille.

Blair didn't remain so calm and went to look for Tyler, but her mother stopped her from getting very far.

"Take your own advice, sweets. Walk away." Vivian saw how Blair was going to disregard what she just said, so she added in something else for good measure. "Do not make me play the Mom-Card."

Blair's face hardened as she grumbled before walking away. If she saw Tyler before Jeremy did, then she was going to kick his ass.

Vivian rubbed her forehead with a sigh. "Teenagers," she muttered before paying the bill. When Vivian got outside she found that Blair wasn't at the car like she thought. "Blair?" Vivian looked around her but Blair wasn't anywhere in sight. "Teenagers!" she grumbled more loudly as she got into the car, slammed the door, and drove off.

* * *

It was late, and Blair still hadn't come home. Vivian was pacing back and forth in the living room at the Boarding House as she left yet another message. "Blair Alden Han you better have a damn good excuse for not calling me back. Like lying dead in a ditch somewhere! Which you better not be either!" Vivian took a deep breath, trying to keep herself calm. "Please, Blair, just call me back. If for nothing else than to let me know you're alive."

Stefan just got home in time to hear the tail end of that message. "Everything alright?"

"I haven't seen Blair since we had dinner at the Grille _hours_ ago. She's not answering my calls and…" Vivian trailed off a bit before asking Stefan, "You don't think Damon has anything to do with this?"

"As odd as this sounds, I don't think he'd hurt Blair. He'll mess with her, no doubt about that, but I don't think he'd hurt her." Stefan was fairly sure about that. "I'll go look for Blair. You stay here in case she comes back. Any idea where she'd go?"

Vivian threw up her hands in an exasperated manner. "I've called all her friends and then some. No one has seen her, and they know better than to lie to me."

Stefan accepted the information and left the House, determined to find her.

* * *

Stefan looked around for awhile and finally found Blair in an old hedge maze behind an abandoned house on the outskirts of town. She was curled up in an old lawn chair placed in the dried up fountain. At first, he wasn't even sure if it was her. "Blair?"

Blair opened her eyes when she heard his voice. "What are you doing here?"

"I should be asking you that." Stefan sat in the seat beside her. "What are you doing here? We've been calling."

"I came here earlier, realized how much I missed coming here – even if just to think, so I came back. And as far as my phone goes, I turned it off." Blair waved her hand out like she was presenting something. "Welcome to Wonderland."

Stefan looked around and imagined what it must have looked like when it was alive. "I like it."

"If I ever win the lottery, I am buying this place." Blair was serious about that. There was just something about this place that she loved.

Stefan took a thoughtful breath before he asked her, "Did your boy drama bring you here?"

"I just needed some space. All the punches from the past are getting to me…so yeah, I guess you could say it did." Blair didn't look at him as she spoke and kept her eyes on the sky.

"Anything I can help you with?" Stefan genuinely wanted to help – it wasn't just something he said for the heck of it.

Blair hated that her first thought was to ask him to dump Elena, but she kept it to herself. "It's all part of being the Cursed One. One would think I'd be used to it by now, but nope, it just keeps getting harder." She didn't want to talk about this anymore, so she changed the subject. "How was your night?"

Stefan sighed a bit and got as comfortable as one could get in the old lawn chair. "Damon is using Caroline as his puppet and he got Elena to invite him into the house."

Blair groaned loudly at that. "I was afraid he'd weasel his way into the Gilbert's house one way or another." She closed her eyes again, saying, "That's tomorrow's problem."

Stefan wasn't expecting that reaction from her. "You're being nonchalant about this."

"I saw Jeremy before coming here so I _may_ have taken something." Blair looked at him with a grin before closing her eyes again.

Stefan didn't like the sound of that. "It's time to get you home."

Blair shot out her hand to keep him where he was. "Just a few more minutes, please? Just sit with me for a few more minutes in Wonderland?"

"Fine, but I'm texting your mother before she calls the cops." Stefan took out his phone to show he was serious.

Blair didn't put up a fight with him about that and just enjoyed the last few minutes they shared together in Wonderland.

* * *

Blair awoke the next morning to being whacked over and over with a pillow. "Hey! What?!" She grabbed hold of the pillow and moved her hair out of her face to see who it was. "Mom?!"

"You disappear for hours to get high and sit in an old hedge maze? Are you kidding me!" Vivian took a pillow off Blair's bed and whacked her with it. "You don't get to do that! You don't get to disappear on me like that."

"What, like you?!" Blair shouted as she got out of bed. "You're one to talk about disappearing. You disappear on me all the time!"

Vivian took a deep breath to calm herself. "That's different, Blair."

"Oh, it is? Really? Please, explain to me. Explain why for all my life you've vanished on me for days at a time?! Where do you go, Mom? Huh? Are you going to tell me?"

Vivian pressed her lips together, not about to say a word. She swore she'd keep Blair ignorant on this and was going to keep her word. "I don't need to explain myself to you."

"Then I don't either!" she shot back. "I'm pulling the 'My soul is older than yours by centuries, so I don't have to listen to you' Card!" Blair breathed deeply to try and contain her temper.

Vivian pressed her hands together and tried to make Blair understand something. "You may have lived life after life over the centuries, but there are still some things you do not understand. _This_ – why I do what I do – is one of those things." She tossed the pillow back on the bed. "Get ready for school. **Now.** "

Blair clenched her fists before grabbing a glass from the side table and throwing it at the closed bedroom door. Everything from losing her father, her temper, people from the past appearing in the present, and everything in between were starting to make her have an overload. Facing it head on wasn't working and neither was avoiding it. How the hell was she supposed to survive in this lifetime? Blair honestly didn't have an answer for that.

* * *

That evening was the night of the big game. Blair wasn't about to miss it – especially since Stefan was on the team now. It'd been so long since she'd seen him play football – This would be a welcome reminder of a past memory. She needed more reminders of good memories, especially now.

At the pep rally bonfire thing before the game Blair cheered along with the others present. Being this peppy really wasn't her so she soon needed a distraction. While Tanner was making his speech about how the Timberwolves were essentially going to kick ass because of how great the team was now thanks to Stefan, Blair went off to find Jeremy. Odds were he would at least have some alcohol on him, and she was right.

"Do I get the 'best friend' discount or are you going to charge me?" Blair asked as she plopped down on the tailgate next to Jeremy.

"Oh, so I am your best friend now that I have alcohol? Why do I suddenly feel used?" Jeremy joked back.

"You don't want the title? That's okay, I'm sure there are throngs of people who would love it." Blair was joking around and started to get off the truck but Jeremy kept her back.

"I wouldn't go that far, Blair," he grinned then handed her a beer bottle.

"Guess we're both that desperate." She shrugged and drank the beer with a teasing gleam to her eye.

"I prefer to think of it as we both have good taste." Jeremy held out his bottle for cheers.

"Oh, I will drink to that." Blair laughed and clinked her bottle with his. Upon seeing Tyler coming right for them, Blair set her beer aside and got up. "Get lost, Lockwood."

"This isn't your fight, Han." Jeremy pointed behind her at Jeremy. "I'm here for him."

Jeremy walked right past Blair, saying in a challenging manner, "Well here I am."

The next thing Blair knew, the pair of them were fighting like a couple of Neanderthals. "Tyler, get off him!" Blair tried to intervene because Tyler had Jeremy pinned to the ground and was punching him over and over again. When Blair tried to pull Tyler off, she ended up getting hit in the face by his elbow when he pulled back for another forceful punch.

The force from the impact sent Blair right to the ground. Her nose was bleeding and already she could feel some swelling in her cheek. Her blood started to boil and in an almost blind rage, she shouted and lunged right at Tyler who was on top of Jeremy again. She tackled him to the ground and had the upper hand so she kept punching him as hard as she physically could. The only thing that stopped her was when Matt pulled her off him. Everything after that was a bit of a blur but apparently Jeremy went after Tyler with a broken bottle but ended up cutting Stefan instead.

When Blair felt her rage subside enough to process things, she shouted at Tyler, "I'm going to rip your head off! If you're lucky enough it'll be the one attached to your shoulders!"

"Blair, that's enough," Matt said in an attempt to calm her down. "Damn, he got you good." He reached out to touch her but she pushed his hand away.

"I'm fine. I've experienced worse and survived." Blair walked away from Matt, adding in as she went, "Good luck with the game."

Elena and Stefan both tried to stop her as she went but Blair just threw up a middle finger in reply and kept on walking. Clearly she was not in the mood to deal with anyone.

Blair walked to the game so walking home was her only option – staying for the game wasn't an option anymore. If she stayed then odds were she'd end up ripping someone's head off – literally.

Blair was making her way through the parking lot when Damon suddenly appeared in front of her. "I've dealt with enough dicks this evening, Damon. Do not mess with me."

"I smelled blood," was Damon's answer. "Wanted to check in. Is that a crime?"

"I'd say 'bite me' but you'd take it literally." Blair got into his face as much as she could. "So I'll settle for 'go fuck yourself'."

Damon chuckled a bit with a smirk. "You sure do hate me for someone who doesn't know me." As Blair stormed off with a scoff, he suggested, "Or maybe you do?"

When Blair turned around she saw that he was holding a picture of Lexi, Damon, and her past life from the 1970's in his hand. "Where did you get that?" She tried to get it from him but it was kept out of her reach.

Damon sarcastically replied with, "I went through your room, _duh_. A shoebox in your closet isn't the greatest hiding place, you know." He moved the photograph even further from her reach when she tried to get it again. "So, you're Kris's new face? This explains a lot."

This time when Blair reached for the photograph, she got it – This whole reaching thing was giving her a bit of dejavu. "Go to hell, Damon."

"If I remember correctly, those were the last words Kris said to me." Damon was definitely baiting her there.

"What do you want, Damon? You want to repeat history?" Blair spun a finger in the air to refer to their surroundings. "That might be a bit of a challenge since we're not on a rooftop, I'm not a Vampire, and to top it all off – I'm not in love with you! So, Mr Damon Salvatore, what's your play here? You gonna snap my neck? Rip my heart out? Drain the very last bit of my blood? Or maybe get a little more creative? Oh, please get a little more creative. I would _love_ to die by a method I haven't already died from yet."

Damon listened to her speech – or whatever that was – and once she finished speaking, he asked, "Are you done?" Before she had a chance to respond, he kissed her deeply.

Blair pulled back and punched him square in the jaw. "What the hell was that!"

Damon rubbed his jaw a little bit because she punched harder than he thought she would. "That was me saying hello to an old friend."

Blair had no idea what to say to that. "Oh my god. Old friend? Do you remember what you did?!"

Damon brushed it off like it was nothing. "Old news. Besides, it's not like it stuck."

Blair clenched her fists then took a deep breath. "I don't know what kind of game you're playing here, Damon, but I'm not going to be a part of it. Stay the hell away from me or my life as Kris is going to be the _least_ of your worries."

Damon found her quite amusing. "I'll see you at home!" he called out to her as she ran off and was amused all the more when she threw a middle finger up at him in reply.

* * *

It was the middle of the night and Blair was pacing back and forth in her room before finally going upstairs to Stefan's. She knocked on the open door, once again finding him writing in his journal.

Stefan turned from his entry and could instantly tell there was something on her mind. "Blair, what is it?"

"Damon figured out who I am – _what_ I am." Blair set the picture from the 70's in front of him.

Stefan picked it up and instantly recognized her. "You were Kris?" He didn't expect that at all.

"I've been a lot of people." Blair sat on the edge of Stefan's bed with a heavy sigh. "He's going to use this against me somehow. Damon has already started playing his games to get under my skin and – he's going to use this against me. Kris was so stupid to trust him. That's a mistake I won't be making in this life."

Stefan got up from his chair and sat down beside her. He gently moved some hair out of her face to get a better look at the already present bruise. "I could give you some blood for that."

"No thanks. I'd rather not have to explain how I'm miraculously healed." Blair saw there was a look of concern on his face and had a feeling it wasn't just about her. "What's your hamster working on up there?" She waved her hand around his head so there wouldn't be any question as to what she was referring to.

"Damon killed Tanner." Stefan turned to face Blair completely. "He needs to be stopped."

Blair agreed with him a hundred percent and would help Stefan to take him down in whatever way she could. "What do I need to do?"

* * *

End Episode 3


	4. Present

_Damon is a problem that needs to be taken care of, I know this, but I would need Human blood to achieve it and that can't happen. When Blair asked me what she needed to do, I told her to go about her days normally until a plan was ready. That's what I told her, but I have no intention of telling her when I do have a plan. The last thing I want is for her…or anyone else to get caught in the crossfire._

 _Even though Damon now knows who Blair is and who she was, I still don't think he'd cause her physical harm. It's not because I think there is still humanity in him – It's because I believe he will enjoy playing games with her first. When he grows bored that is when I believe Damon will not care about striking against her. Blair should be safe for awhile – I can't imagine anyone growing bored with her._

 _I have to admit that finding out Blair was Kris in a past life threw me for a loop. How many lives have I known her? Why hasn't she told me more about them? What else is she hiding? I need to know the answers to these questions. I need to know her better. Blair reminds me of so many people I've known over the years. A little smile here, a twitch there, how she eats an apple – they all remind me of those I've known and lost. Maybe I'm just reading too much into things, but I can't help but wonder…_

Stefan looked away from his journal and tapped his pen in thought. Lately almost all his thoughts went back to Blair in one way or another. He needed to fix that and focus more on Elena and his relationship with her. Stefan wanted it to work but it wasn't going to as long as his mind wandered to someone else.

He closed his journal and wrapped the leather strap around it. Once it was returned to the bookcase he went downstairs. Stefan was about to head right out to Elena's house, but stopped when he saw what Blair was doing in the living room. She was sitting on the sofa going through a box of stuff with one hand and eating an apple with another. Once again it reminded him of someone he knew, but pushed it from his thoughts and focused on the now.

"What are you doing?" Stefan walked over and picked up a compass from the coffee table.

"My mom told Mrs Lockwood she'd loan some stuff for the Founder's Heritage Exhibit – or whatever it's called." Blair set the apple on the table and pulled out an old journal she was previously looking at. "Did you know that in the 1864 a Charlotte Alden was engaged to a Nathaniel Lockwood but she broke it off because she – and I quote – wasn't going to submit to him."

"The names are familiar but I didn't know them well." When Stefan returned the compass to the table, something in the box caught his eye. He reached in and pulled out a silver hair comb with a rose cameo in the center. Stefan had seen a comb exactly like this before, there was no doubt about it. "Which Alden did this belong to?" That question was more of a test than anything else.

Blair put the journal back and took the comb from him. "None of them. Well, me technically. That belonged to my past life. No clue how it ended up with the Alden heirlooms." She caught herself before she said anything more and changed her story a bit. "At least that's what I think. You know, fuzzy and all." That was a lie and she knew it. The comb belonged to her past life – Mina.

"Who did it belong to?" Stefan had a strong suspicion of who that was but needed to hear her say it.

Blair was so caught up in the things from the past that she let her tongue run away from her. Now it was time to play catch up. She gathered up the items and returned them to the box. "You know what, I'm not even sure if I'm right in thinking it's from that lifetime. It probably did belong to an Alden ancestor." She put the lid on the box and scooped it up. "I better get this over to the Lockwoods before Mrs Lockwood has a fit. My mom was supposed to have brought it over yesterday, but I got stuck with it today."

Stefan could have easily made her stay to answer his questions, but he just let her go. One of these times she'd pin herself into a corner and that's when he'd be there to hear her finally give him the truth.

* * *

Blair had the box and list of what belonged to which Alden in her hand, awaiting for someone to answer the door. Who did answer it made her face harden. The Lockwood who opened the door wasn't one she wanted to see – Tyler. "Is your mom here?"

"No." Tyler stepped out of the house. "What do you need her for?" He could still see the residual bruising on her face and it made him feel bad again.

"I got the stuff for the Heritage Exhibit thing." Blair moved the box a bit in her hands. "I'll come back when she's here."

To keep her from going anywhere just yet, he quickly said, "I can take it." At the untrusting look on her face, he sighed, "I'm not going to steal anything, Han."

"You better not, Lockwood." Blair handed it over a bit hesitantly, but her face made it clear if anything went missing there would be hell to pay.

Tyler took the box and set it down beside him to put off for a moment something he hadn't said yet. "I'm sorry."

Blair thought she was hearing things. "What was that?"

Tyler sighed heavily because he didn't want to repeat himself, but did. "I said, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you. And I'm sorry I went after Jeremy. My temper got away from me. I think you of all people can understand that." He gestured to his split lip so there would be no doubt as to what he was talking about.

The last thing Blair ever expected from Tyler was an apology, and a sincere appearing one at that. It took her a second to respond because of how unexpected it was. "You deserved it."

Tyler couldn't really fault her there. "I guess I did."

Blair thought this was getting kinda weird and wanted to end it. "Make sure your mom gets that."

"Will do." Tyler picked the box up and brought it into the house. Just when he was about to set it on the foyer table, the bottom gave out. He turned the box upside down and put all the items and papers into it. The last thing was a journal. He was curious, so he flipped it open and happened upon the same entry that Blair read earlier that day. Reading that a Lockwood and an Alden were engaged in the past made him wonder if his dad knew anything about it. For as long as Tyler could remember, his father had encouraged him to get close to Blair. Could this old connection have anything to do with it?

Tyler didn't put much more thought into that and returned the journal to the box before going on with his plans for the day. And yet, in the back of his mind, he did wonder just a little bit.

* * *

Later that day, Blair was being dragged through a dress shop by her mother. "Mom, seriously, I don't need a new dress. I have plenty."

"Plenty meaning the three dresses that are so black you could wear them to a funeral? Not this time, sweets." Vivian pulled out a short yellow dress and showed it to her daughter. "Well?"

"Ew, yellow? That's the color of jaundice." Blair knew her mother wasn't going to let up on this so she started looking for herself. "If I pull the 'I'm having flashbacks' card can I get out of this thing?"

"Stefan dancing with Elena isn't the same as Stefan dancing with Katherine." Vivian pulled a green dress from the rack that was instantly returned based off Blair's expression.

"I know it's not, but it might as well be." Blair sighed as she forcefully returned a dress to the rack. "I need to start dating someone."

Vivian laughed upon hearing that. "Well that's unexpected. What brought this on?"

"If I have someone to date then maybe I'll stop thinking about the 'ultimate one who got away'." Blair paused for a second there because another person came into her mind – someone she hadn't thought about in a very long time.

Vivian had to snap her fingers in front of Blair's face to bring her back to the present. "Don't worry, I'm not going to ask when you went to. Let's stick to the present, shall we?"

"Yes, please." Blair was more than willing to do just that.

Vivian casually went through the dresses on the rack before suggesting someone for her daughter to date. "What about Tyler Lockwood? The Aldens and Lockwoods have history and all. Why not bring that into the present?"

Blair froze in fury at that suggestion. "Please tell me you're kidding."

"You two have more in common than you think." To add a little levity to this nudging, Vivian added in, "And just think about all the _angry sex_ you guys could have."

Blair literally covered her ears when her mom said that. "Mom! Oh my god! Ugh!" She grabbed a few dresses from the rack and practically ran to the dressing room to escape this conversation.

"Something to think about!" Vivian called out with laughter then stopped when she spotted a dress she could definitely see herself in.

Blair tried on the knee length red dress. It had a band of black fabric around the waist with an embroidered red rose on it and instantly decided that was the one. As she looked at herself in the mirror she couldn't help but think about what her mom said in regards to the Lockwoods and Aldens. Little did her mom know, a Lockwood and an Alden were together in this lifetime but it didn't work out – Clearly. And since there was no way in hell she'd ever date Tyler, they'd never be brought together again. Not in this lifetime anyway.

* * *

Blair was getting ready for the party when Damon came into her room. He stood behind her in front of the mirror and smirked, "Kris did like her red."

"Just because I happen to like the color, doesn't mean I'm anything like her." Blair started to zip up the dress but couldn't reach it the rest of the way. "If you're going to be all looming then at least make yourself useful."

Damon smirked again and finished zipping her up. He put his hands on her bare shoulders and said quietly in her ear, "If you're trying to get on my good side so I'll let my guard down for an opening to be Vervained, you've got another thing coming."

Blair stepped away from Damon and eyed him in confusion. "I'm not trying to Vervain you, Damon. I'm more partial to a stake through the heart." She patted his chest to emphasize. "Vervain is like poison and I'm far more hands-on than that." If Blair was to be honest, she hadn't even thought of Vervain as an option to take Damon down because as far as she knew it didn't grow in Mystic Falls anymore. She wasn't aware that Zach had a Vervain grow room in the basement.

Damon listened to her heartbeat and didn't find any indication that she was lying. "My mistake. Have fun at the party tonight. Do you have a date?" At her expression, he could tell she didn't. "How unfortunate for you. I'm bringing Caroline. It's going to be fun."

"Not too much fun." With those words Blair meant she didn't want him to drain Caroline dry.

Damon smirked as he backed out of her room. "Why Blair, are you jealous?" He left completely before she had a chance to respond.

Blair held her hands out in front of her and squeezed them like she was strangling someone. Once that was out of her system, she muttered, "I wish I had the Force," and went back to getting ready for the party.

* * *

When it was time to leave for the Founder's Party, Blair went downstairs to meet up with her mother in the foyer and found she wasn't alone. Matt Donovan was standing there in a suit talking with her. As Blair stepped closer, Vivian smiled, "Well, have fun you two. I'll see you later, sweets." Vivian was about to walk out of the House but stopped, handed Blair her cellphone with a wink, and then took her leave.

Blair had no idea what just happened. Her mouth was even gaped open in confusion.

Matt started feeling a bit awkward now. "I'm going to take a wild guess and say you weren't the one who texted me?" At Blair's 'no' head shake, he chuckled. "You had no idea I was going to be your date tonight?"

Again, Blair shook her head 'no'. She wiggled her cellphone and slapped it in her hand a little. "Clearly my mom has taken it upon herself to play matchmaker." Blair popped her lips and slipped her phone into her bag. "Shall we?"

Matt expected her to put up a fight about this, or at least complain or say something snarky. It surprised him that she didn't. "Yeah, sure. Let's go." He opened the door for Blair and closed it behind him.

"For the record, this isn't a date." Blair wanted to make that clear. Matt was one of the sweetest and loyal guys she'd ever known and that was precisely why she didn't want to drag him into her world of baggage. He'd only end up getting hurt and that was the last thing she wanted for him. Matt deserved someone great, and that wasn't her.

Matt accepted that answer. "Two friends going to a party together."

Blair nodded once with a grin. "Exactly."

Once they were in the truck, Matt had to ask her something. "How didn't you get a date for the party?"

Blair could have easily spun an excuse or gave some plausible reason that wouldn't be the truth, but instead she did give him an honest answer. "The guy I wanted to go with is taking someone else."

"Then he's an idiot." Matt smiled sweetly at her.

Blair caught this and jokingly said as she pointed at him, "Careful, Matt. You just might end up making me fall in love with you."

Matt jokingly scoffed and chuckled incredulously as he put the truck into gear. "We wouldn't want that now, would we?"

Blair grinned, "Absolutely not."

The pair got a laugh out of that as they drove to the party. On the way, Blair made a mental note to thank her mom for texting Matt on her behalf. Going to the party with a friend was just what she needed.

* * *

Blair enjoyed her time at the party so far. She danced with Matt, found amusement in Jenna and Vivian giving Logan Fell crap, and just let herself be. She didn't worry about Damon, or Stefan, Elena, or anyone else. Blair was making memories in the here and now. She didn't let herself dwell upon the past and stayed firmly in the present. If only it could have stayed that way.

Blair intended to keep herself away from the Heritage Exhibit but found herself in there while Matt was getting drinks or something. She found herself in front of the original registry for the first Founder's Party and took a deep breath at the sight of her name from that lifetime. Her life as Mina was ages ago and yet felt like yesterday. In fact, the memories came rushing back so quickly that Blair thought she was going to be sick.

She needed to get out of that room as quickly as possible, so that's what she did. Without telling her mom or Matt, Blair darted out of the Mayor's mansion. Once outside, she kicked off her shoes, picked them up, and took off running. Blair didn't stop until she was far enough away from everyone and sat down on a metal garden bench. With her head dropped in her hands, she asked herself, "Why did I go into that room?"

Tyler was on his way back to the party after a tiff with Vicki but stopped when he saw Blair sitting there with her head in her hands. "You okay, Han?"

Blair gasped when she heard Tyler's voice because he startled her. When she caught her breath, she answered his question. "I'm fine, Lockwood."

Tyler stepped closer to her. "You don't look fine."

Blair took offense to that, sarcastically replying with, "Thanks."

That's not what Tyler meant and said so. "I didn't mean it like that." He sat down on the bench beside her. "Are you okay?"

"What do you care?" Blair snapped back. She rubbed her forehead with a sigh. "Rough night. Some…not so happy memories just flooded my mind and I needed to get out of there."

Tyler thought she was referring to her father, so he answered accordingly. "I'm sorry about your dad."

Blair looked at Tyler like she couldn't figure him out, because…well, she couldn't. "Why are you suddenly being so nice to me, Lockwood?"

Tyler opened his mouth to say something sarcastic but ended up telling her the truth. "Well, Han, the playground tactic isn't working. It's about time I tried something different." He got up, saying, "Enjoy the rest of the night," and went back to the party leaving a very confused Blair in his wake.

* * *

Even though Blair was confused as hell from Tyler's behavior, it was what she needed to bring her back to the present and plant her firmly there. She went back to the party and found Matt in the dancing area.

"I've been looking everywhere for you," was Matt's worried greeting. "Thought you bailed on me when your mom left."

"Sorry, I needed some air." That was a great understatement but true. "She left?"

Matt wasn't going to hold that against her or anything like that. "Glad you're okay. Oh, yeah, she said she needed to take care of something. Didn't get anything more than that."

"Again with a 'poofing'." Blair made slight explosion motions with her hands. "Whatever. Let's dance."

Matt smiled, "I think I can get down with that." He took her hand and led her onto the dancefloor. A more upbeat song was playing now and they were getting into it.

Blair felt better now and laughed when Matt did a move like a chicken. She was having so much fun that she didn't even realize they were being watched – That _Stefan_ was watching them.

Stefan was standing off to the side of the dancefloor and couldn't seem to take his eyes off Blair and Matt dancing together. It surprised him how much he wanted to cut in, but he didn't do it. Instead, he made himself leave the area to see if his plan to take down Damon was making progress. Earlier in the evening Stefan put Vervain in Caroline's drink, so it was only a matter of time before Damon drank her blood and the Vervain as a result.

* * *

While the others were enjoying the party, Vivian sat in the Lockwood's library with the Mayor, his wife, Sherriff Forbes, and Logan Fell. "Did Elena bring the watch?" Vivian asked as she got herself comfortable.

"She claims it's packed away in her parents' things," Carol Lockwood answered, sounding as though she didn't believe a word of it.

"Don't worry, I'll get it," Logan interjected. He was pretty sure of himself on that.

Vivian doubted him just a _little_ bit. "And if you fail, then I'll get it."

There was something the Mayor needed to know before they proceeded. "Are we sure we even need it?"

"Five victims all drained of blood. Trust me, we need it." Liz had zero doubt about that.

Vivian of course knew for a fact that there were Vampires in Mystic Falls, but she couldn't out them without consequence, so she feigned specific ignorance. In reference to what Liz just said, Vivian responded in a sing-songy voice, "They're back."

* * *

End Episode 4


	5. Dance

Blair's temper was on the rise that morning. She was fuming at the fact Stefan didn't let her in on the plan to take Damon down. Her rational side knew it didn't matter because Damon was in a cell in the basement without his Daylight Ring or blood supply, but that didn't stop her own blood from boiling. Blair didn't like that Stefan kept it from her. _That's_ what she was fuming about.

When Stefan came into the kitchen, Blair promptly brought her breakfast dishes to the sink. It'd been three days since they spoke and she still didn't want to talk with him. If she did then odds would be she'd end up saying something she'd regret. Her expression was mighty clear on this, but that didn't seem to stop him from talking to her.

Stefan went over to Blair at the sink and blocked her path to keep her from leaving so quickly. "I know you're mad at me."

"Damn right I am," Blair shot back. "You lied to me. I _hate_ being lied to."

Stefan had intended on giving Blair a little leeway but her words struck a nerve. "Neither do I."

Blair crossed her arms with a bit of an attitude because it was clear his words were directed at her. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Stefan answered her question with one of his own. "Who were you in 1864?"

Blair was taken completely off guard by that. Her voice stammered, "I – I told you."

"No," Stefan countered, "you haven't. You keep making excuses and saying it's too fuzzy to remember. I'm not buying it anymore, Blair. Who _were_ you?"

Blair looked him square in the eye a bit defensively. "What does it matter to you? You have Elena, so just focus on that and leave my pasts out of it." She pushed by him and headed for the door, only to stop when Stefan spoke again.

"You were Minnie, weren't you?" His tone voiced just how badly he needed to know – How much he needed to hear it.

Blair was literally reaching out for the door handle and froze in that position. She couldn't look at him. If she did she might not stay in control. So instead, Blair essentially repeated herself. "What does it matter? You have Elena." Before anything else could be said or done, she opened the door and made a swift exit, leaving a practically frozen Stefan in her wake.

* * *

Blair was digging through her locker at school when Elena came up to her. She didn't even need to see who it was to know it was Elena – It was almost like she could feel her impending questions. Blair's head was still in her locker when she spoke. "Hello, Elena. No, I don't know what's going on with Stefan. We're not really on speaking terms at the moment." She leaned back just enough to see Elena's face. "Did I cover the basics?"

Elena scoffed a bit because Blair had, but there was another question she wanted to ask. "How come we haven't gone back to being best friends yet? I would have thought our conversation on the porch would have paved the way for that. What's going on?"

Blair found what she was looking for and closed her locker with a sigh. "I'll always be your friend, Elena, but I don't think we'll ever be best friends. Even you have to admit while growing up I was closer to Jeremy than you. He's probably got the best friend title."

Elena tried really hard to be offended by that but couldn't. As much as they've tried being best friends over the years, they never really reached that point. Their parents held that title with each other so that's why they tried so hard. After everything that had happened, there really wasn't a point in putting in so much effort to make it work anymore. "Damn, you're right."

Blair put on her best Caroline impression, saying, "Oh, I know."

Elena couldn't help but laugh at that. "Okay, that was scary. You do Caroline too well."

Blair grinned before laughing as well. On their way to class, she asked, "So, have you walked in on Jeremy and Vicki yet?"

"No. Thank god," Elena chuckled. "Although I did walk in on Vicki brushing her teeth in my bathroom this morning." She stopped upon realizing something. "Hold on, you know about them already?"

A strong 'pfft' sound came from Blair in reply. "Oh, please, Jeremy texted me about it after they hooked up." At Elena's 'broken mind' expression, Blair added in with a sing-songy voice, "Best friend."

Elena jokingly pushed her a bit for that. "Are you ever going to shut up."

Blair plastered a thoughtful look on her face as they entered their classroom. "Nope, not likely."

* * *

After school, Blair went to the Grille. She didn't want to go back to the House because Stefan would be there and she didn't have Vivian as a buffer. Her mom was out of town again for…something. Vivian didn't really give any specifics other than to say it wasn't one of her 'me time' trips. Sometimes Blair would swear her mom was more of a cool aunt than her mother. Her dad was definitely the more responsible of the two. Since it was just her and Vivian, Blair had hoped her mother would step up to the plate and be a responsible parent but sometimes it didn't even feel like they were on the same team.

Blair didn't want to think about this anymore because there wasn't anything she could do about it. Did she love her mother? Of course she did, but damn, there were sometimes she didn't really _like_ her.

The arrival of the plate of fries was a welcome distraction. The fries weren't going to be the only distraction on the horizon thanks to Tyler coming into the Grille. Upon seeing him, Blair pulled the plate closer to her, put her arm on the table, and kept her head down. She still had zero clue what Tyler meant about the whole 'playground tactics' thing and wasn't too quick to find out.

Tyler was headed for the counter to place an order but changed his mind when he saw Blair sitting alone in a booth looking like she was trying to make herself invisible. He couldn't help but shake his head and chuckle at that. Tyler didn't say a word to Blair when he went over to the table and just sat across from her. He grinned when Blair finally moved to look at him. "There you are. I was wondering when you'd acknowledge my presence."

Blair sat up straight now and moved some hair out of her face. "I don't tend to acknowledge those who were not invited. Which means you – All the time."

"Oh, burn," Tyler sarcastically replied. "Come on, Han, you've got better insults than that."

"Listen, Lockwood, I have better things to do than…whatever this is." Blair slid the fries over to him. "Consider this a bribe to leave me alone." She grabbed her bag from beside her and left the booth.

Tyler watched her go in amusement while he ate the fries.

Matt stopped Blair before she could leave, chuckling, "I think that's the longest you've spoken to each other without yelling."

Blair waved her hands around her head because she was so confused. "He's being so weird! Something about changing playground tactics? It doesn't make any sense."

Matt laughed at the terminology she used. "Playground tactics – that's what he said?" He almost couldn't believe it but it would explain so much.

Blair's brow furrowed in question. "Yes…why? Do you know what that means?"

"You don't?" Matt was teasing her but quickly changed his tune at her face of death. "Remember as kids, on the playground, if a boy was mean to a girl it meant he liked her?"

Blair looked at Matt like he was insane. "That's the stupidest thing I have ever heard."

"The tactic is stupid or the fact that Tyler has been using those tactics on you since we were kids is stupid?" Matt raised a brow at that to get her thinking.

"It's all stupid. This entire conversation is stupid and inaccurate." Blair was getting all jumbled and still confused. "And you know what, you're stupid, too!" She was starting to feel childish and couldn't believe how many times they used the word 'stupid'.

Matt laughed as she stormed out of the place and sat down at the booth with Tyler. "You like her, don't you?"

Tyler simply shrugged in reply because he was still sorting out how he felt himself.

* * *

Even though Stefan now knew who Blair was in 1864, he was still trying to make things work with Elena. Earlier that day they hit a rough patch and Elena made it sound like she was going to break up with him. It would have been so easy to just let that happen and see what could be between him and Blair but he decided against it. Blair wasn't Mina anymore and since she was determined to keep that from him…what else was she keeping secret?

Stefan thought about this as he prepared dinner for himself and Elena who was sitting across from him at the kitchen island.

Elena was picking up where their current conversation trailed off because that's exactly what Stefan did. "So…Katherine?"

"There was someone before Katherine," Stefan admitted. "Her name was Mina. She had hair that looked like wheat in the sunshine, her smile just made you smile right along with her no matter what you were feeling, and she had this phobia of rabbits. Well, maybe not a phobia but she hated them. It was pretty funny."

Elena leaned on the island a bit. There was something she wasn't getting. "Sounds like you really cared about her. So…why did you get together with Katherine if Mina was so great?"

"I don't have a good explanation for that." It wasn't like he could tell Elena that Katherine compelled him to think and feel everything that he did.

Elena left her seat and walked around the island to join him in the chopping process. "What happened to Mina?"

Stefan had to pause in what he was doing because the memory of what happened flashed to the front of his mind. "She died. Mina was at the wrong place at the wrong time and got shot because of it." Stefan cleared his throat and turned the topic of conversation back to the meal. "Did I tell you I know how to make my own mozzarella?"

* * *

"Wakey wakey," was Matt's greeting to Blair the following morning. He crouched down and leaned on the arm of the couch at Blair's head. "It's sexy suds day!"

Blair, who spent the night at Matt's place because she didn't want to go back to the Boarding House, groaned. "You sound far more excited for Caroline's fundraiser than you should."

"I'm still surprised you signed up for it." Matt made his way to the kitchen. "You better hurry up or else we're going to be late."

Blair folded up the blankets she used before joining him in the kitchen. "You do realize I didn't bring a bathing suit with me, right?"

Matt handed her a fresh cup of coffee. "Take one of Vicki's. I doubt she'd care."

Blair gratefully sipped at the coffee. "I should borrow one of her tank tops too. I'm a bit more endowed than she is. Last thing I need is giving someone an unintentional peep-show."

Matt just about had a spit-take moment when she said that.

Blair was greatly amused by his reaction and decided to add a little more fuel to the flame. "Of course, there's far more to me than that. After all, I'm a mystery wrapped in an enigma wrapped in an _awesome_ rack."

Matt shook his head as he chuckled in awe at her. "I…I got nothing."

"See? Just talking about them is mesmerizing!" Blair got playfully dramatic when she said that.

"What's mesmerizing?" Tyler asked as he joined them in the kitchen. The front door was unlocked so he just let himself right into the house – not like it was the first time.

"Blair's rack," Matt answered without thinking and ended up getting punched in the arm by Blair because of it.

After shooting Matt a death glare, Blair turned to Tyler. "What are you doing here?"

"Are you actually acknowledging my presence even though I wasn't invited?" Tyler smirked as he poured himself a cup of coffee.

Blair rolled his eyes with an annoyed groan and went off to Vicki's room to find a bathing suit.

Tyler's gaze followed her as she went. "Where's she going?"

"She's borrowing a bathing suit from Vicki," Matt answered before taking another drink of coffee.

"She better take a top to cover up with," Tyler observed. "Unless she wants her chest to fall out of the thing." When Matt almost a spit-take moment – again – Tyler added in, "She is bigger than Vicki in that department." At that moment it clicked. "Oh, so _that's_ why you were talking about her rack."

Matt shook his head incredulously at Tyler. "Dude, just ask her out already. This weird dance between you two has gone on long enough, don't you think?" He raised his brow a bit to get Tyler to think about that before going off to finish getting ready.

* * *

Blair washed her assigned car wearing – and she couldn't believe it – a little, yellow, polka dot bikini. She made sure to wear a tank top as well because the top piece _barely_ covered her chest. It would have been a lot simpler if she just went back to the House to get her own two-piece but with the choice of dealing with an ill-fitting suit and risk crossing paths with Stefan, she'd pick the ill-fitting suit any day.

'Sexy suds car wash', Blair thought to herself incredulously as she scrubbed the car. 'I went from standing on a soap box to this.' She was pulled from this thought upon hearing a wolf-whistle. Blair turned around and raised a brow at Warren – a Senior and a big-time player – who she guessed the whistle came from and she was right.

"Damn, Blair, you look hot. When did that happen?" Warren's eyes moved over her and he liked what he saw.

Blair practically guffawed at him. "Are you expecting that line to work?"

"It hasn't failed me before." Warren smirked and leaned against the car. "You doing anything tonight?"

"If you're asking if I'm doing _you_ tonight, then the answer is never in a million years." Blair smiled sweetly then shooed her hand. "Run along now."

Warren clearly wasn't getting the hint. He moved closer to her, saying, "Is that _really_ what you want?"

Blair's face hardened, she wasn't playing anymore. "Get the hell away from me, Warren."

Tyler paused in the washing of his assigned car as soon as he saw Warren go over to Blair. Now that things were getting serious, he went over to intervene. "Something going on here?"

"Nothing that's any of your business." Warren didn't want Tyler interrupting his game. He was so smug he actually thought he had a chance with Blair.

"Actually, it is," Tyler countered, stepping between Blair and Warren defensively. "Because I'm pretty sure I heard her tell you to get lost. If you know what's good for you, listen. **Get lost**."

Warren scoffed and backed up because his self-preservation kicked in – meaning he knew Tyler would beat the crap out of him if he didn't listen. "You win. She's not worth it."

Once Warren walked off, Tyler turned around to face Blair and instantly got hit in the face with a wet rag. He pulled the rag off his face and threw it aside. "What the hell was that for, Han?"

"You had no right to interfere, Lockwood!" Blair shouted at him. "I don't need some guy coming to my rescue. I can take care of myself." She was abandoning her post now because her temper was flaring. "You know, I think I preferred it when we were at each other's throats than whatever the hell this is." Blair scoffed and walked away because she wasn't in the best headspace to deal with this.

Tyler wasn't going to leave things like this – Matt was right, this dance had gone on long enough. He, too, abandoned his post and went off to find Blair. Tyler caught up with her around the back of the school where the busses were parked. He cut her off and wasn't going anywhere until she listened to what he had to say.

Blair didn't appreciate being cornered like this and tried to get past him. "I have nothing more to say."

Tyler matched her step and kept blocking her path. "Well, I do. You think I don't know you can handle yourself? I know you don't need anyone. I _wanted_ to intervene. If Warren laid a hand on you I would have killed him. It's taken me a long time to admit what I feel, Han. I can't help but think if our families didn't keep trying to push us together growing up I would have admitted it sooner."

Blair didn't buy what he was selling. "I'm not playing this game with you, Lockwood. I don't know what you're trying to get out of it, but it's not happening."

"I'm not playing anything." Tyler was getting a bit defensive. "We've been doing this weird dance for awhile now, Blair. Can you look me in the eye and honestly tell me I've been dancing alone?"

Blair was completely prepared to do just that, she even looked him square in the eye. She had what she wanted to say all planned out in her head but that's not what came out of her mouth. What Blair did say was, "I can't do that, Tyler." When he smiled and moved closer to her, she stepped back with her hands up. "But that doesn't mean I can do this. You went after Jeremy…" she was cut off from saying anything else.

"I'll never mess with him again," Tyler vowed. "I swear it. He won't even be a blip on my radar. Can you give me a chance…please?"

Was Blair living in denial all this time about how she felt about him? Or did she need a distraction from what she felt for Stefan so badly that she was willing to convince herself she felt something for Tyler? Blair didn't have an answer for this and ignored that fact when she answered his question by pulling him down to her level for a kiss.

When Blair pulled back she asked, "Does that answer your question?"

Tyler chuckled lightly before grinning, "I'm not sure. I think you should probably tell me again."

Blair shook her head and laughed before returning her lips to his. Hopefully this decision didn't turn out to be something she would regret – that they both would.

* * *

Whether or not what she was starting with Tyler was a good idea, Blair couldn't go on with it if she didn't tell a certain someone first. This is what brought her to the Gilberts' house after leaving Tyler at the Car Wash. It was almost dusk by the time Jeremy got home. Blair got up from her seat on the porch swing and met him at the door. "Hey, Jer."

Jeremy chuckled a bit at her appearance. "Hey, Blair. Let me guess, you got roped into the sexy suds thing?"

Blair nodded with an 'ugh' expression upon her face. "I was a part of it, yes."

If Jeremy wasn't seeing her standing there in the two piece with unzipped short-shorts then he couldn't imagine her at that fundraiser. "You should come inside and steal something of Elena's to wear."

Blair crossed her arms with a slight scoff. "Why is everyone so determined to cover me up? It's not like all I'm wearing is a bay leaf."

Jeremy played out the likely conversation in his head and no matter what he ended up sounding like an ass, so he didn't say anything else about it. "You should come in anyway. Jenna did shopping so there's plenty of popcorn."

Blair held her thumb over her shoulder to point back to the porch swing. "Actually, do you have a sec to talk?"

"Sure." Jeremy sat on the swing with her. "It must be important if we're using the swing to talk."

Blair raised her pinky up for him to swear. "I want your word that no matter what I say, you won't hate me."

"Okay, you're really starting to worry me, Blair. The last time you made me do this was when you told me about _the_ guy." Jeremy could see the determination in her eyes, so he wrapped his pinky around hers. "I swear that no matter what you have to say, I won't hate you." They both bit their thumbs to seal the vow before releasing. "Now what's going on?"

Blair could have beat around the bush, but didn't. She ripped the band-aid right off and hoped Jeremy would keep his word. "I kissed Tyler today."

Jeremy's expression dropped quite a bit before hardening. "I really hope you just told me you _killed_ Tyler today because that makes more sense than what I thought I heard." With one look at her face, he knew she was being serious. "You kissed him? Are you kidding me?! I asked you if Tyler was the boy drama guy and you lied to me!"

"I didn't lie!" Blair couldn't make that any clearer. "Tyler wasn't who I was talking about with all that 'boy drama'. I swear this just sort of happened, but I think it's been building up for awhile now."

Jeremy scoffed angrily at her. "You should go." He forcefully left the swing and headed for the door.

Blair quickly followed Jeremy, reminding him, "You swore you wouldn't hate me."

Jeremy stopped in the doorway and looked at her. "I don't hate you, Blair. But that doesn't mean I'm not pissed."

Blair opened her mouth to say something but he closed the door before she had a chance. She almost knocked but decided against it and headed down the porch steps, but turned around when she heard the door open again.

"Here." Jeremy tossed her one of his hoodies. "I may be pissed but I don't want you to freeze."

Blair caught the hoodie and put it on. She smiled in a hopeful way. "Love you." They'd been saying variations of that since they were kids so it was nothing new.

"Yeah, yeah," Jeremy replied as he started closing the door again. "Love you, too."

* * *

Blair actually felt pretty good about everything. Over all, it was a good day. She even felt ready to see Stefan. If only these feelings could have lasted a little bit longer.

When Blair walked up to the House, the front door was opened. Figuring Vivian was home, she called out, "Mom, you have got to stop leaving the door open. Do you not remember what happened with the raccoon the last time?" Her footsteps came to a halt when she saw a dead crow on the floor in the foyer. It looked like it'd been torn apart which made her think of only one thing – Damon had escaped. "No."

Blair ran down to the cellar, calling out, "Zach!" Calling out for him was pointless because his lifeless body was lying on the floor in front of Damon's cell. Blair gasped loudly with instant tears upon seeing him and rushed to his side. "No. No. No!"

Her attention was quickly turned to the hall when she heard someone approaching. Seeing Stefan coming towards them, made her seethe with rage, "I want Damon's head on a pike!"

Stefan knelt beside Zach's body and held onto him. After a few moments he looked at Blair and responded to her words. "You'll get it."

"Damn right I will." Blair bound to her feet and took off running to another area of the basement. She started going through the shelves to find what she knew was in there – a wooden stake.

Stefan was quick to join her and moved Blair away from the shelving. "Blair, stop. You're in no shape to deal with him."

"This is your fault!" Blair shouted as she pushed him away from her. "You should have killed Damon when you had the chance, but nooooo you had to try and save him! This is your fault!"

Stefan's hand reached out to a box on the shelf and pulled out the wooden stake. "I won't make that same mistake."

Blair wiped the tears from her eyes then pointed firmly at him. "You better not." She didn't follow Stefan right off because she needed a minute to get herself together. Blair finally took a deep breath and ran to catch up with him upstairs.

In the foyer, she practically skidded to a stop because Elena was standing in front of Stefan in the doorway demanding to know of him, "What are you?" Blair took a sharp intake of air when she heard Elena ask that because she had no idea what Stefan's answer was going to be…

* * *

End Episode 5


	6. Mina

**A/N: Hey, Readers! First off, I would like to thank you all for reading my story and leaving reviews, it means a lot.** **Now, for the reason of this Author's Note. This 'Episode' of Life After Life is going to be a little different – it takes place almost entirely in 1864. Hope y'all enjoy it!**

* * *

Seeing Elena standing in the doorway with Stefan sent so many memories into Blair's mind. The floodgates were open and there was no stopping them. An occurrence like this hadn't happened for Blair in a long time but it was happening now…the memories caused her to black out and fall to the floor. She may be unconscious but that did not stop the memories…

* * *

 _Mystic Falls 1864_

Mina Pryce stood in front of the mirror in her bedroom at the Salvatore Boarding House. Everyone was speaking word of the arrival of a young woman from Atlanta – if Mina remembered correctly. For the life of her, she couldn't understand what was so special about the new arrival. But, of course, Mina didn't know anything about this Miss Pierce, so perhaps an understanding would accompany her arrival.

Mina looked away from the mirror and picked up her favorite hair comb. The rose cameo is what made it her favorite because, after all, Mina loved roses. When her gaze returned to the looking glass, she found Stefan Salvatore in its reflection. With a happy smile upon her face, she turned around to greet him. "Your father would not be pleased if he discovered you were paying visits to my room."

"I do not find anything wrong with helping you place a comb in your hair." Stefan smiled and took the comb from her. He placed it within her golden locks before kissing her softly.

A soft blush graced Mina's fair complexion. "You should be greeting the new guest."

"Are you trying to get rid of me?" Stefan's smile showed he was teasing her.

"Of course not," Mina giggled, blushing all the more. "I simply do not wish for you to get into any trouble with your father."

"Miss Pierce's carriage hasn't even been sighted upon the horizon. We have plenty of time." Stefan gently touched her face. "I love you, Minnie."

Mina felt her heart skip a beat when he said that. "And I love you, Stefan."

Stefan moved closer and was about to kiss her but was interrupted by one the servants clearing their throat in the doorway.

"I'm sorry," she said to them, "but there is a carriage arriving." The servant then bowed her head and left the pair alone.

Stefan sighed in regret because they did not have as much time as he thought. "Duty calls." He didn't leave her without a kiss, though.

Mina smiled as she watched him leave then moved to the window to see who this new arrival was. When a young brunette woman exited the carriage, Mina gasped loudly. She placed a hand on her heart and almost lost her balance due to the flashes of memory in her mind.

Mina closed her eyes and opened them again in case her mind was playing tricks upon her, but it wasn't. She was seeing her as plain as day, and thus made Mina whisper in shock, "Katerina."

* * *

Later that evening at dinner, Mina was quiet. True, she wasn't much of an outgoing speaker, but this was different. Mina was trying to determine exactly who Katherine was. Was she a Doppelganger like Katerina or was this Katerina herself? She was pulled from these thoughts when Katherine spoke to her.

Mina completely missed what Katherine said and spoke with an apologetic tone. "Forgive me, Miss Pierce. I did not hear what you said."

Katherine smiled sweetly but there was annoyance in her eyes. "I was merely admiring your hair comb. It's stunning."

"Thank you." Mina's tone came out meeker than intended.

Katherine found amusement in this. "I have decided you and are I going to be very good friends." Katherine couldn't wait to see what kind of further amusement this Mina would provide.

* * *

Mina waited until late before bringing herself to Katherine's room. She knocked on the door and waited. When Katherine opened it, Mina wasn't meek anymore. Only one word came out of her mouth but it held so much weight that nothing else needed to be said. "Katerina?"

Katherine's curious face turned into a deadly one. In the blink of an eye she pulled Mina into her room, closed the door, and slammed her up against it. Her Vampire form came to light as she hissed, "Who are you?"

Mina clearly didn't think this through, but answered her question with a name Katherine would know from the past. "I was Anne – Anne Birlot." In case it wasn't clear enough, Mina added in, "I am the Cursed One."

Katherine's face returned to normal as this information set in. Oh, this was just too perfect. A plan to get back at Mina for her life as Anne was already forming in Katherine's mind. All she needed was a little more information.

Katherine put a very convincing happy smile on her face as she released her grip on Mina. "Anne? My Anne?" She gasped with laughter and hugged Mina. "Oh, I have missed you so."

Mina wasn't sure what she felt but hugged Katherine in return. "I have so much to tell you from my time as Anne. So much I need to explain."

Katherine was far more interested in her life now. She pulled back saying, "Nonsense. The past is the past. Come and tell me all about your life now." Katherine sat on the edge of the bed with Mina and grinned, "I knew we were going to be friends."

Mina didn't see Katherine's ulterior motive – how could she? All she remembered – all she knew – was Katerina Petrova and did not consider the fact that the years and becoming a Vampire could have changed her – and not for the better. Because of this, Mina went on to tell her everything about her life, including how deeply she loved Stefan Salvatore and longed for the day they would marry.

Katherine ate up every word Mina spoke and now knew exactly what she was going to do to punish her.

* * *

 _Mina wasn't sure how things were going to turn out with Katherine, but so far they were amazing. Katherine was acting almost exactly like the Katerina she remembered and they were so close again. Mina thought it was so sweet how Katherine even got close to Stefan to make sure he was worthy to wed. And the whole Vampire thing didn't even appear to be a problem. Mina didn't think anything could possibly go wrong…but eventually, it did._

 _It started out so slow. Mina didn't even know it was happening. Katherine was compelling her way into Stefan's mind and his heart, but this isn't what Mina would eventually be made to believe._

* * *

Mina was outside tending to the roses when a ball of some sort shot past her, making her shriek. "You gave me a fright!" She scolded the Salvatore brothers as she returned the football to them.

"I could not resist," Stefan grinned. "You are very cute when you're scared."

"You're evil." Mina gestured to the ball now in Stefan's hand, asking, "May I join you in…whatever game this is?"

Stefan tossed it to her. "Of course."

Mina walked with the brothers away from the flowers. "What are the rules?"

"Who needs rules?" Katherine asked as she joined them. "Mind if I join you?"

Mina was just about to tell Katherine she could be on Damon's team, but Stefan spoke before she had a chance.

Stefan walked over to Katherine. "Uh, well you could, uh – you could get hurt. My brother likes to play rough."

Katherine giggled. "Somehow, I think that you play rougher." She went over to Mina, took the ball from her with a wink, and ran off.

Damon clapped his hand on Stefan's shoulder. "Why are you just standing there? That is a girl who clearly wants to be chased." He grinned a bit. "If you don't do it, I will." Damon didn't even wait for Stefan to answer and ran after Katherine.

Stefan didn't miss a beat and followed.

Mina was left standing there having no idea what had just happened but could feel in her gut that nothing was going to be the same.

* * *

The night of the Founder's Ball arrived and Mina was fuming. She burst into Katherine's room without warning. Mina was a whirlwind of fury. "You are taking Stefan to the Ball? Why are you doing this, Katerina? Why are you taking him away from me?"

Katherine chuckled darkly. "That is your problem, Mina. I am not Katerina anymore, but you are still Anne." She moved closer to Mina with a hardened expression upon her face. "And this is why you are being punished."

Mina pointed firmly at Katherine, clearly losing her usually well-controlled temper. "I will not let you take Stefan from me. I will stop you, _Katerina_."

Katherine did not respond to that lightly. She tightly gripped Mina's throat and squeezed. "The only thing stopping me from killing you right now is because your death would go noticed." Katherine released Mina from her grasp and watched as she dropped to the floor, coughing in an attempt to catch her breath. "You are weak and pathetic, _Anne_. You think you can stop me? Good luck with that."

Katherine walked over to her vanity and sat down with an arrogant air. "Now get out of my room. I have a Ball to prepare for."

Mina got to her feet with her blood boiling. After slamming Katherine's door, Mina went to her own room to come up with a plan to take Katherine down. With every scenario she came up with, one thing was evident…she couldn't do this alone.

Before she had a chance to change her mind, Mina went down to Mr. Salvatore's study. The door was open and she found him sitting at his desk. "Forgive the intrusion, Mr. Salvatore."

He looked up from his papers with a slight smile. "Not an intrusion at all. How can I help you, Miss Pryce?"

Mina took a blank piece of paper from his desk and a pen and wrote words as she said aloud, "I was simply wondering if there was anything I could do to help with the Ball this evening."

Mr. Salvatore knew something was wrong based of Mina's behavior. And when she showed him what she wrote, he took a deep breath before going along with her lead. "The Lockwoods have everything under control, Miss Pryce." He moved from behind his desk and took the paper from her. "But thank you for offering your assistance." Mr Salvatore threw the piece of paper into the lit fireplace and watched the words, ' _There are Vampires in Mystic_ Falls' burn.

* * *

 _Mystic Falls 'Present Day'_

Blair rubbed her head with a groan as she opened her eyes and realized she was laying in a hospital bed with an IV stuck in her hand.

Stefan shot up from the chair when he realized Blair was waking up. "Hey, you're okay." He helped her into a sitting position before taking a seat on the edge of the bed.

"What happened?" Blair rubbed her eyes. "The last thing I remember was…Elena. Oh my god, what happened?" When Stefan looked down without saying anything, Blair knew what he wasn't saying. "She knows, and you didn't compel her to forget."

Stefan nodded. "There's more – Damon is still alive and Vicki Donovan…she's a Vampire. He turned her."

Blair couldn't believe this was happening. "So not only did you tell Elena your secret, Damon is alive, and Vicki is a newborn Vampire?" She popped her lips in frustration. "How did I end up here?"

"You weren't waking up. I tried giving you some of my blood but that didn't work. The doctors said it was stress induced." Stefan didn't know if that was the actual cause or not, but that's what he was told.

"It's not stress – well that doesn't help anything – it was a memory overload." Blair waved her hand like she was brushing it off. "It happens sometimes. The memories flood in at a faster pace than I can handle and I black out. How long was I unconscious?"

"About twenty-four hours." Stefan didn't know something like that could happen and he was starting to worry, but he was also curious. "What were the memories?"

Blair didn't even bother lying. There really wasn't much of a point anymore. "1864."

Stefan was about to say something about that but was prevented from doing so when an unexpected visitor came into the room.

Tyler practically ran into Blair's hospital room and let out a breath of relief when he saw her awake and talking. "I just heard you were here." He went straight over to Blair and kissed her lightly.

Blair placed her hand on the side of his face and returned the tender kiss.

Stefan stood up and watched this in shock because he had no idea she and Tyler were interested in one another like this – or together, for that matter.

Tyler stood next to Blair's bed, saying to Stefan, "Thanks for keeping an eye on her, man, but I'm here now." He certainly sounded a bit territorial, because that's exactly how he felt.

Stefan wasn't about to start a debate over this, so he bowed out. "Feel better, Blair."

"Bye, Stefan." Blair watched him as he left then turned her attention to Tyler. She had to admit that she was shocked Tyler came, but it was just as shocking to realize she felt so much better because he had.

Stefan lingered outside Blair's room for a few moments, looking in through the window. When Blair collapsed like that he had a flashback of Mina – seeing her lifeless body. Stefan wouldn't have been able to handle it if history had repeated itself in that way, but as he stood there looking at Blair sitting with Tyler a part of him felt like he'd lost her anyway – despite the fact she wasn't his to lose.

* * *

End Episode 6


	7. Harper

Vivian stood outside the front door of the Boarding House with her arms filled with shopping bags. Pinned between her ear and her shoulder was a cellphone featuring an ongoing call with Sherriff Forbes. "You're just repeating yourself at this point, Liz. I had to go out of town for a few – believe it or not Mystic Falls isn't the only place with a current Vampire problem." She scoffed upon hearing Liz's response. "I take offense to that. There's nothing wrong with taking priority on other towns, especially when I'm getting paid for it. And now that it's over I can focus on Mystic Falls. Ciao!"

Vivian ended the call and dropped it into one of the bags then proceeded to put her key into the front door, only it didn't turn. "What the hell?" She set the bags down and tried again, only to get the same result – her key wasn't working. "What's the big idea?!" Vivian shouted as she pounded on the door. Finally, it was opened.

Blair opened the door and glared at Vivian standing there. "You're not welcome here."

"Your tone will change once you see what I have for you," Vivian grinned. "Now what's the problem with the key?"

"I changed the locks." Blair held the door firmly to keep Vivian from opening it. "Like I said – you're not welcome here."

Vivian had no idea what was going on. "I don't appreciate your tone, Blair. What is…"

Blair cut her off before she had a chance to finish her sentence. "Damon got out, Zach is dead, and Vicki Donovan is now a Vampire. If you were here like you should have been then this wouldn't have happened. You bailed _again_ and I'm done. This isn't your home anymore. **Leave**."

Now it was Vivian's turn to glare. "Didn't we already have this discussion? There are things you don't understand – why I do what I do. Now move and let me inside."

Blair gestured to the bags and boxes down the porch. "Not happening. Goodbye, Mom."

When Blair started closing the door, Vivian shot her hand out to stop her. "You don't want to make an enemy out of me, sweets. I've seen your memories – I _know_ things. Just think how easy it would be for me to let the cats out of the bag?"

Blair just stood there because she honestly had no idea who was standing in front of her anymore. "Who _are_ you? I mean, seriously? Was I adopted or something? Because if you were really my mother then you would _never_ threaten this."

Vivian went back on an over decade's old promise in a single moment. "Well look at that. One of the cats are already out of the bag." She scooped up her bags, leaving only one behind – the one with the stuff for Blair – and walked away.

Blair did not like what was just said to her. "What's that supposed to mean?!" she shouted after Vivian.

Vivian didn't answer her and simply said, "I'll send for my things." She ignored Blair even as the question was screamed out again. Once in her car, she sped off only to eventually pull over to make a phone call or two. After a few rings there was an answer on the other end. Before that person could even speak, she said, "I'm done, Harper. Do you hear me? **I. Am. Done.** She's your responsibility now, just like she should have always been. I'm leaving Mystic Falls for good and in case you were thinking about not coming back let me tell you one more thing – Vampires are back in Mystic Falls."

Vivian ended the call, left a message for Liz that she wasn't going to be staying in town after all, and proceeded to get the hell out of Mystic Falls. This was the last straw for her. She never should have agreed to keeping that secret all those years ago, but love blinded her. Now that love was gone, and she wasn't going to let herself be clouded anymore.

Meanwhile, Blair grabbed her duffel bag and left the House as well. As long as the Salvatore brothers were going to have Vicki in the House, she didn't want to be there. Besides, now there was something she needed to deal with and knew just where to start.

* * *

Blair skipped school that day and went to the Gilbert's house. She figured she'd have to wait for Jenna to get home, but surprisingly enough Jenna was there.

"Hey, Blair," was Jenna's greeting when she answered the door. "Is everything alright?" She could tell there was something wrong just by the look on her face.

Blair had something all rehearsed in her head but now that Jenna was standing there in front of her, she didn't know what to say.

Jenna was starting to worry now. "Blair…are you okay?"

"You knew my parents, right? I mean, like, _really_ well?" That was a good enough place to start as any, right?

Jenna crossed her arms and looked at Blair like she was trying to figure her out. "Yes…I think we're gonna save a lot of time here if you just ask me exactly what you want to know."

Blair rubbed her forehead, muttering, "I can't believe I'm about to ask this," before coming right out with it. "Are my parents my parents? I mean – Am I adopted or something?"

Jenna took a deep breath before opening the door wide. "You should come inside." She was made to promise something a long time ago – If Blair ever asked her something like this, that she was to answer.

Blair's face dropped as soon as Jenna said this and went into the house.

Jenna led Blair into the kitchen and popped a bag of popcorn into the microwave. "I'm aware I should be telling you to go to school, but I'm going to look past the fact that you're skipping for this."

"I am adopted, aren't I?" Blair asked as she sat at the kitchen island.

"No," Jenna instantly answered then changed it slightly. "Well…sort of."

Blair was losing her patience. "Jenna!"

Jenna pulled the popcorn out of the microwave and poured it into a couple of bowls while saying, "My sister was really supposed to have been the one to explain this if it ever had to be explained. Don't ask me why it was arranged this way – I have no idea. But she's not here so it's up to me." Jenna placed a bowl in front of Blair with a sigh before taking a seat herself. "Vivian isn't your biological mother, but Jae is your father."

"So, I'm a Han but not an Alden?" Blair was still trying to make sense of this.

"I didn't say that," Jenna countered then groaned heavily. "Your father hooked up with Vivian's younger sister, Harper. As far as I know it was only once but she got pregnant. Vivian loved your father so much that she forgave him and since Harper was young, Vivian agreed to raise you as her own." Jenna took Blair's hand and squeezed it. "I was worried that Vivian would second-guess that decision when your father died. I'm so sorry, Blair."

"Don't be." Those words caught in Blair's throat a bit as she processed this news. "It actually explains a lot." She cleared her throat and left the kitchen island seat. "I should get to school."

"You don't have to go. We can pop in a classic movie and gush over guys – we haven't done that in awhile." Jenna _hated_ this, but she promised her sister that she'd be the one to explain if anything ever happened.

Blair shook her head and put on the best act she could muster. "I'm fine, Jenna. Really. I meant when I said it explains a lot. I'll see you later."

Jenna followed a bit to get something else out before Blair left. "This doesn't change who you are, honey. You're still Blair Alden Han."

Blair didn't respond to that and walked out the front door, closing it behind her. She grabbed her bag and started walking to school but ended up in the Town Square instead – After calling Tyler to ask him to meet her there.

Tyler wasn't able to get any information out of Blair about what happened, so he skipped class and went straight to the Square. He found her sitting on one of the benches with a duffel bag beside her. Tyler really didn't like the look of this. "Blair? What happened?"

Blair looked up with tears streaming down her face. "Tyler…" she wasn't even able to start explaining things and started sobbing.

Tyler moved the bag aside and sat next to Blair. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close. "I got you. Whatever is going on, I got you."

* * *

Once Blair stopped crying, they went to the Grille where she told him everything she learned about herself that day. Of course, Blair left out the part where she didn't know why it bothered her so much because it wasn't like this was the first set of parents she ever had. Even so, it hurt like hell not knowing a huge part about this life.

At the end of Blair's explanation, all Tyler could start with was "Damn. I – I don't know what to say to that. I'm sorry, Blair."

"You don't have to say anything, Tyler. You listened, and that means a lot." Blair poured a bit more sugar into her coffee. "I didn't even know my mom – that Vivian had a sister. And now I find out that she's my mother." She dropped her face in her hands and groaned. "This life is so screwed up."

"Every life is screwed up in their own way." Tyler meant that as every person's life and didn't realize Blair took it differently.

"Cheers to that." Blair was applying it to all her past lives and clinked her cup of coffee with Tyler's.

Tyler thought what she needed was a distraction. Well, he wasn't sure if she _needed_ it but she sure as hell could use it. "Are we still on for the thing at school tonight?"

Blair was grateful for the change of subject but her brow furrowed in confusion. "What thing at school tonight?"

"It's Halloween," Tyler chuckled. "Or did you miss all the decorations?"

Blair looked around at all the spider webs, skeletons, and jack-o-lanterns around and her eyes went wide. "I – I didn't even realize today was Halloween." She looked at Tyler and burst out laughing because it was just too funny for her.

Tyler smiled because he really liked her laugh, and if she was laughing it meant she must be feeling a bit better. "So…tonight?"

"Absolutely. I could use the distraction from my screwed-up life." Blair sipped at her coffee before admitting. "I don't have a costume."

"As weird as this is to say, Caroline has it covered. I believe her words were 'We both know Blair is just going to end up getting the cheapest…'."

Blair leaned across the table and pressed her hand over his mouth to keep him from going on. "I get the gist." She took back her hand and returned to her seat. "And she's right. So…what am I going as?"

Tyler grinned because he could easily imagine how Blair would look in the costume Caroline picked out to match his own. "You'll see."

* * *

When school was let out of the day, Blair went to Caroline's house to get her costume. At least that was the original plan. Somehow it ended up with Blair accepting Liz's offer to stay in the guest room for a few days since Vivian left town for good.

Caroline was talking about this while getting Blair her costume from her closet. "A parent leaving for a valid reason I can get – it sucks but I can get it. Vivian bailing on you because she can't handle being a single parent? That's messed up."

"I really don't want to talk about it anymore," Blair instantly answered and hoped Caroline got the hint. She did have something to add in real quick, though. "Except for one thing…How the hell did your mom get me to agree to stay here? Did she use a Jedi mind trick on me or something?"

"Nope," Caroline answered with a bit of annoyance. "That's just Mom-Jitsu."

"She's very skilled," Blair chuckled and laughed even more when Caroline added in, "Don't I know it." Once Blair stopped laughing, she stood up from her seat on Caroline's bed and asked, "So, what's my costume?"

"You're gonna love it," Caroline grinned and wiggled the costume bag out in front of her.

"Why do I have the feeling that this means I'm going to hate it?" Blair looked at her a bit skeptically as she took the bag. She stuck in her hand and pulled out a sexy version of a Roman Goddess outfit – High slit skirt, low cut. " _ **Dude**_. I'm not wearing this!"

"But you have to!" Caroline practically whined. "It matches Tyler's sexy Roman Warrior costume. This strip of red fabric here matches his cape _perfectly_." She grinned a bit when an idea to convince Blair to wear the costume popped into her head. "I'd have thought you'd be happy to have a sexier costume than I have. You're one-upping me."

Blair narrowed her eyes at Caroline. "You're only letting me one-up you because I'm parentless now, aren't you?"

Caroline flipped some hair over her shoulder. "I am _not_ that crass." At Blair's eyebrow raise, she said, "Well, so what if I am? Are you going to wear it or not?"

"Fine," Blair groaned and started leaving the room with the costume, only to stop when Caroline held out a pair of sandals to go with it.

"I'll do your hair after you're dressed," Caroline grinned and chuckled a bit when Blair practically sulked out of the room. "You love it, you know it!"

Blair answered that by sticking her hand around the corner just enough to flip her off.

* * *

Blair remembered – well, _vaguely_ remembered the last time she was in Roman attire and it certainly wasn't as provocative as this. Hopefully this time she wouldn't end up getting pushed over a cliff.

She was pulled from this attempt down memory lane when she walked onto the school grounds that evening and Tyler went right over with a couple of glasses of cider in his hands.

"Damn," was his greeting as he checked her out. The costume fit her in all the right places. "I love Halloween."

Blair waved her hand up and down in front of him, saying, "It's nice to see I'm not the only one being objectified here," and accepted a glass. "Lockwood Special?"

"Would it be anything else?" Meaning it was spiked with the good stuff like every other time Tyler was in charge of the punch.

"Good." Blair clinked her glass with his and took a sip. It was more intense than she expected. "Damn, that's stronger than I remember."

Tyler chuckled as he drank some then asked, "How are you feeling?"

Blair shook her head after taking another drink. "Not talking about it. This is Halloween and I want to enjoy it. Okay?"

Tyler didn't argue with her there. "Fair enough."

Blair looked around at everyone in their costumes and the whole haunted house thing going on inside the school. "Wanna go check it out?"

"Naw, I helped set it up. It's not that scary." Tyler really wasn't interested. "It's more cheesy."

"I love cheesy horror." Blair gave him back the glass before kissing his cheek. "I'll catch up with you later."

"You know where to find me." Tyler was fine with her going off to do her own thing there. He knew they were still finding their footing in whatever this relationship was between them and the last thing he wanted to do was to try and control her.

Blair was definitely enjoying the cheese factor of the haunted house. She wasn't even bothered that Tyler wasn't interested. It's not like she needed to cling to him or anything. Everything was going well until Elena practically ran into her. "Whoa, where's the fire?"

"Blair?" Elena looked her over with wide eyes. "I didn't even recognize you. But whatever, Vicki is here and I can't find Jeremy."

"I thought Stefan was keeping an eye on her at the House?" Blair was fuming that he lost track of Vicki. "Any idea where they went?" When Elena shook her head, it was like a lightbulb went off in Blair's. "They'd want to be alone, right? Away from people."

Elena was quick to get onto Blair's thought train. "They're outside."

"That's where I'd go," Blair answered as they headed for the rear exit.

"I hope you're right," Elena replied, hoping she wouldn't regret putting this much faith in Blair, "Because Jeremy's life depends on it."

Blair took just enough time to glare at Elena before darting out the door into the school bus parking lot. As soon as they arrived, they heard Jeremy calling out for help. Elena grabbed a scrap piece of wood and ran but Blair had a different idea. She darted around the other side of the bus and as soon as she saw Vicki throw Elena into a pile of wood pallets, she grabbed Jeremy's hand and pulled him along to get the hell out of there.

They didn't get very far before Vicki was right in front of them. Blair instantly responded to that by punching her right in the face.

Vicki was surprised that it hurt but quickly recovered. "That's not nice." She Vamped-Out and lunged for Blair only to be tackled and pinned against a bus by Stefan.

"Vicki!" Jeremy called out and tried to get to her but Blair stopped him. "What is going on!"

Blair was about to say she'd explain later but was prevented from doing so because Vicki had gotten out of Stefan's grasp and disappeared.

"Go." Stefan said to her, Jeremy, and Elena. "Get inside."

The three of them ran for the door and Elena was the first to make it inside. Jeremy and Blair were about to follow but Vicki sped over to them, pulled Jeremy away, then drove her fangs into Blair's neck. Blair gasped as she felt the blood leave her body and was starting to get very light headed.

"No!" Stefan shouted before using his speed to grab a sharp piece of wood and drive it straight through Vicki's heart.

Blair couldn't process what was happening. She didn't hear Jeremy cry out for Vicki in agony or see Elena hold him back. Blair did feel something, though – She felt Stefan lift her head and feed her his blood. Blair started out slow but drank until she was fully healed.

Once Blair was done with his blood, Stefan held her close with relief. "You're okay," he said to her reassuringly. "You're okay."

Blair didn't care about herself because she knew she'd be alright. It was Jeremy she was worried about. "Jeremy." She pulled herself from Stefan's embrace and went over to him. "Don't look, Jer. Don't look."

"Get him out of here," Elena said firmly to Stefan who listened to her then turned her attention to Blair when she heard a cell phone ringing.

"It's Tyler," Blair explained when she silenced her phone. "He's wondering where I am."

"Go. Go before he comes looking for you." Elena felt that was the last thing they needed.

Blair could understand that and she said, "Okay," before heading back into the school.

The whole time she kept thinking about Vicki and somehow remembered to wipe off her mouth in case any of Stefan's blood was present. Tyler didn't waste any time getting to her when she walked out. Upon seeing him, she said, "Sorry, I was talking with some people."

"I was worried you bailed," he admitted then saw all the blood on her mostly white outfit and skin. "Looks like you got nailed with a blood-baloon." Tyler heard someone was going around throwing fake blood-filled balloons and pitied the poor bastard if Blair tracked them down.

Blair scoffed with a bit of an eye roll at that, going along with what he said. "Yeah, and I'm going to kill them for it."

"I'll be your alibi," Tyler grinned then kissed her.

Blair returned the kiss and when their lips parted, she hugged him.

"What's this for?" Tyler asked as he returned the embrace.

"It's been a long day." Blair felt like she was going to cry and sounded like it, too. "I think I'm going to head out."

"You want me to come with you?" Tyler was willing to ditch the rest of Halloween if she needed him to.

Blair shook her head with a smile. "I'll be fine. Besides, who else is going to spike the punch properly if you're not here?" She smiled reassuringly. "I'll call you tomorrow, Lockwood."

"Later, Han." Tyler watched as she went and debated whether or not to follow but eventually decided to give her space.

* * *

There was something Blair wanted to get from the Boarding House before going to Liz's place so that was Blair's present location. She just barely walked into the house when there was a knock at the door. Blair narrowed her eyes at that and turned around to answer it. Standing outside was a young woman who looked like she was in her thirties and seemed oddly familiar. "Can I help you?"

The woman took a deep breath before speaking. "You must be Blair."

Blair still had no idea who this person was. "Must be. Now who are you?"

Once again, the woman took a deep breath. "My name is Harper Alden." After letting that sink in for a second, she added in, "I'm your mother."

* * *

End Episode 7


	8. Lexi

Blair blinked her eyes several times in an attempt to process what that woman just told her. All of a sudden, without any warning, Blair just started laughing.

Harper stood there, unsure of what was happening exactly. "This is funny to you?" She couldn't even tell if she should be offended by this or not.

"What kind of game is this? I mean, seriously?" Blair asked through laughter. "Because this is just messed up. This morning my mom disappears after hinting she's not my mom, I find out the truth, and tonight you happen to show up?" Blair started laughing a bit hysterically – She was having a hard time processing all of this, so all she could do was laugh.

Harper took that moment to explain herself. "When my sister called and told me she was leaving Mystic Falls I got on the first bus. I'm here to tell you everything."

Blair stopped laughing in that moment and her face grew hard as rock. "I don't care what you have to say. I don't want to hear it. If the choice is having a mother who dumped her kid onto her sister to lie for over a decade and not having a mother at all – I choose not having one at all."

"Vivian has never handled things well – Something we have in common, I hate to admit." Harper reached into her purse and handed Blair a piece of paper. "Here is my contact information. I'll be staying in a motel just outside of town when you're ready to talk."

Blair snatched the paper out of Harper's hand just to end this as quickly as possible with the hope she'd leave soon. "I'm not going to use this. I want nothing to do with you or any other Alden who may happen to exist. I'm done with this so-called family."

"That's your choice, but keep in mind that I'm not going anywhere. I'm here for you now, Blair. I know I'm late but I'm here to pick up where my sister left off." Harper never intended to ever have to come back and tell the truth but when Jae died everything shattered, she could see that now.

Blair practically spat in her face, "I don't want you," before slamming the door.

Harper preferred to get in the last word, so she called out, "Happy Halloween," before turning around to take her leave.

Blair punched the door in frustration and confusion before sliding down to the floor. She wrapped her arms around herself and started to cry.

Stefan had come in the back door after spending time with Elena after Damon compelled Jeremy to forget everything that had happened with Vicki. He was about to go right up to his room, but he heard crying in the foyer. "Blair?"

Blair heard Stefan call out her name and quickly got to her feet. The last thing she felt she could handle right now was seeing him, so she left.

By the time Stefan got to the foyer, he saw Blair walk out the front door. He wasn't sure if he should go after her or not and decided that whether or not he should, he was going to.

Stefan sped out of the House and stopped right in front of her. "What happened?"

Blair practically jumped fifty feet when Stefan appeared. "Leave me alone, Stefan. _Please_. I can't – I can't take being around you right now."

Stefan looked at her with a soft expression on his face, trying to understand. "Why?"

"Because you're with Elena!" Blair shouted, finally letting out at least a part of what she was keeping inside. She took a deep breath to try and calm herself. "I'll be staying somewhere else for a few days."

Stefan was so caught off guard by her exclamation that he just let her go. This wasn't the time to even try and figure out where they were to go from there.

* * *

Blair went to Caroline's house and got ready to sleep for as long as possible. Hell, she'd sleep her life away in she could just for the chance to start over in the next one. Things didn't work out like that though because as soon as her head hit the pillow, she shot up with a gasp and looked at the clock. Seeing that it was after midnight, Blair dropped her face into her hands. "It's his birthday." She utterly and completely forgot and after her little outburst she didn't feel like she had the right to celebrate it. Even so, she wasn't given much of a choice.

That morning – after Blair _finally_ got some sleep – her cellphone rang. It was only about six AM and she wasn't too happy about this turn of events. So much for sleeping in. "What?!" Blair snapped into the phone.

"Well, that's a lovely greeting. You have a worse temper this time, don't you?" Lexi answered from the other end of the line.

Blair shot up straight in the bed because she couldn't believe what she was hearing – She couldn't believe _who_ she was hearing. "Lexi Branson, is that you?"

"Damn right…" Lexi's voice was quieter for a moment because she had to ask Stefan, "What's her name in this lifetime again?", then talked back in the phone. "Blair! I swear you go through more names than a blabber mouth in Witness Protection."

Blair still couldn't believe she was talking with Lexi. "Wait, how…" She wasn't able to finish her sentence.

"Stefan told me all about it. Now get your ass over here! I don't care what's going on in this lifetime – You're here, I'm here, and Stefan is here so we're going to celebrate! Now get here!" Lexi ended the call before Blair could have a chance to argue.

Blair dropped the phone onto her lap and held up her hands like she was weighing something. Finally, she made a decision. "Lexi's worth having to deal with Stefan." With an affirmative nod, she got dressed, snuck out of the house and went straight to the Boarding House.

* * *

As soon as Blair opened the Boarding House door, Lexi was right in front of her, exclaiming. "Oh my god, you're so pretty!"

Blair laughed and hugged one of her oldest friends. "You always say that."

"Well it's always true!" Lexi turned around for Blair to get onto her back. "Quicker this way." She wiggled her eyebrows for incentive.

"Oh, jeeze," Blair laughed and hopped on her back. Once she was holding on, Lexi sped right up to Stefan's room before letting her down. "That is still very fun…and disorienting."

Stefan slid his desk chair over for her to take a seat, but didn't say a word.

Lexi clapped her hands excitedly. "The Three Musketeers are back together again! How many lifetimes is it now? It's been at least six."

This was news to Stefan. "Six?"

" **Lexi** ," Blair used her strongest warning tone as she shifted in the seat a bit.

Lexi got the hint and changed the subject. "I'm going to New York this weekend. Bon Jovi in the Garden! The two of you should come with me. We can recreate that insane weekend."

"It would be quite amusing to see if he remembers the two of you." Blair fondly remembered that weekend.

"We can make him remember," Lexi grinned. "And I'm absolutely certain you can give him a _strong_ sense of dejavu." She turned around to Stefan. "Now what's keeping you here?"

"I told you," Stefan answered. "Her name is Elena."

Lexi picked up Katherine's picture from Stefan's desk. "Well let's hope she's better than this one."

Blair popped her lips and stood up. "I think it's time for me to go."

"But you just got here!" Lexi whined then pouted. She took Blair's hands in hers and moved them back and forth. "Stay and play with us!"

"I've got stuff to take care of. Send me the details for the New York trip. I wouldn't miss it." Blair hugged Lexi before saying to Stefan, "Happy Birthday, old man."

"Thanks," he replied and didn't take his eyes off her as she left.

Lexi caught this and pointed at Stefan in a curious manner. "Are you _sure_ it's Elena that's keeping you here? Or is there something more going on that I don't know about yet?"

Stefan didn't answer her and not-so-casually changed the subject. "So, Bon Jovi, huh?"

* * *

Like just about everyone else who knew Vicki, Blair was called in for questioning. Elena already called her with the gist of the story they were going with and Blair played her part. The Sheriff seemed to buy it and at the end of the interview, Liz changed subjects. "Where did you sneak off to this morning?" she wanted to know.

"I forgot it was a friend's birthday until this morning. I had to go back to the Boarding House to get their present. I wasn't sure how long this was going to take so I wanted to take care of that first." That was close enough to the truth anyway.

Liz seemed to accept that answer. "Have you heard from your mother?"

"Which one?" Blair asked dryly, not caring if Liz didn't know what she was talking about or not. Based off Liz's expression, she didn't seem to. "I haven't heard from Vivian – I doubt she'll be coming back any time soon. Are we done?"

Liz nodded. "Yes, you can go. You're still welcome to stay in the guest room. I don't like the idea of you staying at the Boarding House with two young men."

"Liz, I love you, but you worry too much. The Salvatore Boarding House is my home – it has been for awhile now. The fact the brothers live there doesn't change it." Blair picked up her bag and got up. "Even so, I'll take you up on your offer for another night or two. Thanks."

Liz smiled, "Any time, honey."

Blair gave her a bit of a wave goodbye as she left the office and then the station itself. Elena was off to the side talking to Stefan while Jenna and Jeremy waited at the car. Blair went over to Jeremy and hugged him. "You okay, Jer?"

Jeremy hugged her back. "Yeah. I mean, I'll miss her. But I think it's for the best." When they pulled from each other, he asked, "What about you? How are you dealing with the whole moms-thing?"

"You know about that?" Jenna couldn't believe it. "Wow. You two tell each other everything, don't you?"

"I wouldn't say _everything_ ," Blair laughed, "but pretty close."

"Wow." Jenna shook her head and got into the car to leave the teens to chat.

Jeremy waited a second before asking Blair, "Are you going to see Harper?"

"That would be a _no_. There's nothing she can say to me that I'd want to hear. So I'm just going to ignore the insanity and move on." Blair fully intended on doing that. Now whether or not she would is another story. She nudged Jeremy's arm as she asked, "Wanna meet up at Wonderland later?"

"You haven't heard?" Jeremy replied. "Someone bought the place. They've got these huge wall things going up around the property to keep people out."

Blair's dropped a million miles upon hearing that. "You're shitting me?"

"I wish." Jeremy was going to miss that place as much as Blair. After all, they did find it together.

"Everything okay over here?" Elena asked as she joined them.

"Yep." Blair gave her an affirmative nod before saying to Jeremy. "Later, Jeremy." She started walking in the opposite direction of Stefan when her cellphone rang. "Hello?"

"Are you done with your thing yet?" Lexi asked from the other end of the line. "I'm here all alone and only had Damon to talk to – Who I'm still pissed at for killing you, by the way."

"We can meet up tonight or something, Lexi. I don't really want to be around Stefan." Blair pinched the bridge of her nose. "As much as I love you and want to spend time with you, I just can't be around him."

Lexi took a moment to think before answering. "You're in love with him again, aren't you?"

"Lexi!" Blair exclaimed in a high-pitched gasping squeak.

"You are so in love with him again!" Lexi sounded very excited about this. "You've got to tell him before he gets too hooked on this Elena girl."

"You don't know what you're talking about." Blair's voice was more level now.

"If you say so. Whatever, I want to see more of you before I go. I'm not taking no for an answer." Lexi made it clear she wasn't going to give Blair any leeway on this.

"Don't you mean before you kidnap me and take me to New York?" Blair countered, feeling like she had a point but caved when she heard Lexi's sigh. "Fine. I'll try to come by later, but no promises." She ended the call before Lexi could get another word in and headed back to the Sheriff's house.

* * *

When Blair arrived, Caroline was on the phone making a bunch of plans for a party at the Grille that night. She took a break from the calls when Blair walked in. "You're coming to the party tonight and that's that."

Blair raised her brows a bit. "What party and why must I attend?"

"I'm throwing a party at the Grille because I want to and you need to come because everyone else is going to be there." Caroline was very adamant about this. "Oh, and bring Tyler, too."

"Tyler's busy tonight and I've got plans." Blair shrugged in mock apology. "Sorry."

Caroline narrowed her eyes at Blair. "No you're not. I remember you being more fun."

"I have my moments," was all Blair had to say about that before going to the guest room and locking the door behind her. If she was going to meet up with Lexi later then she was gonna have to get some sleep so she could actually enjoy it.

* * *

Blair was woken up from her nap by a phone call. "Lexi," she groaned before answering it in a robotic-like voice, "Hello, you have a reached the supernatural beings hotline. For the woodland menu of your area, please press one then enter your zip code followed by the pound key."

Lexi interjected when Blair took a breath. "You – well you and Stefan – have a lot of explaining to do. I just met Elena."

Blair opened her mouth to speak but she found no words.

"That's what I thought," Lexi shot back a bit. "You're coming over. **Now**."

Blair dropped her phone onto the bed before falling back into her pillows. "Am I too old or too young for this shit?" She popped her lips in thought. "Both. Both is good." With that decided, she got out of bed and grabbed her things before heading out to the Boarding House.

* * *

"Talk while I get changed," was Blair's greeting when she walked into the Boarding House since Lexi was standing there waiting for her.

"Did you not think to mention Elena was the spitting image of Katherine? Is this why you haven't told Stefan anything?" Lexi shot those questions out one after the other as they went up the stairs to Blair's room. "Does he even know you were Mina?"

Blair stopped on the landing to face her. "A) It's none of my business until it becomes my business – or I make it my business. B) I have told Stefan more than I intended to. And C) Yes, he knows I was Mina. It doesn't make any difference, Lexi. He loved Katherine and now he's falling for Elena. Maybe it's part of my Curse for Stefan to always be the ultimate-one-who-got-away. I don't know but I'm sick of trying to change it. He will _never_ choose me like that, and I need to accept it. Maybe once I do then I'll be able to be his friend because I – I miss him, Lex. In every life since I first met him, I miss him."

Lexi didn't say anything to her friend yet and just pulled her close for a hug. "I hope you find someone who's capable of loving you. You deserve it. After all your lives, you deserve it."

Blair actually felt a bit better, enough so to tell her, "I did just start dating someone."

Lexi pulled back from the embrace enough to look her in the eye. "Please tell me he doesn't look exactly like Stefan, because that'd just be weird."

The two of them got a laugh out of that as they continued up the rest of the stairs to Blair's room. As they walked in together, Blair asked, "What exactly are we doing tonight?"

"Party at the Grille," Lexi grinned as she went into Blair's closet. "Wear your dancing shoes!"

Blair chuckled a bit at this information because Caroline ended up getting her way – she was going to the party after all.

* * *

Since Stefan told Lexi he'd meet her at the Grille, Blair and Lexi went there together. Almost as soon as they walked into the place, Damon approached, saying, "Well, well, well. Isn't this like history repeating? Can I get you ladies a drink?"

"How about you get me something wooden and pointy to drive through your heart?" Lexi countered with disdain in her eyes. "Run along Damon and do me a favor and stay away from Blair. You've killed her once, you're not going to do it again."

Damon scoffed at her before turning to Blair. "Are you going to let her speak for you like that?"

Blair simply nodded. "Sounded good to me."

Lexi linked her arm with Blair's. "Let's get a drink, shall we?"

"Absolutely." Blair grinned and went with Lexi arm in arm straight to the bar. Before she could even open her mouth to order, Caroline rushed right over to her.

"You came!" Caroline was more excited about this than Blair expected. "I'm so glad you could make it and didn't let Tyler not being able to come drag you down. Good to be independent." Caroline opened her mouth to say something else but spotted Bonnie. "Oh! There's Bonnie. I need to go talk to her. Have fun!" And just like that, she was gone.

"Who was that?" Lexi laughed as she handed Blair a drink.

"Caroline Forbes," Blair answered and accepted it. "Her mom is practically like a second mom to me…or third?" She shuddered a bit at that. "Anyway, Caroline and I go from friends to barely tolerating each other depending on the day."

Lexi downed the shot in her hand. "Didn't you have a life like that with me? I seem to remember some frenemies vibes a little while back."

Blair looked up a bit in thought as she sifted through some memories. "I have a vague recollection of this, yes."

"I bet you remember better than you claim you do," Lexi teased as she pointed at her. "But you just love using that 'it's all jumbled up there' line as an excuse. It's okay, you can admit it."

Blair stood up straight, mockingly acting all proper. "I admit nothing." That response resulted in Lexi pelting a rolled-up napkin at her. She laughed at this and threw it right back.

Lexi swatted it away then gasped happily upon seeing Stefan enter the Grille. "Let's dance." She wiggled her eyebrows with a grin and grabbed Blair's hands to drag her along to the dancefloor.

"Lexi, I really don't want to," Blair all but whined.

Lexi stopped halfway towards Stefan and turned to face Blair. "You said it yourself you wanted to try being his friend. What better way than embarrassing him on the dancefloor?"

"He's actually a pretty good dancer when he wants to be," Blair countered and with one look on Lexi's face she could tell that wasn't the point which was trying to be made. "Fine. But only because you're asking me."

"I wasn't aware I was asking." Lexi grinned and proceeded to pull Blair along. Once she was close enough to Stefan, she grabbed his hand and pulled him with them right to the middle of the dancefloor. She started dancing right off and when she saw that neither Stefan or Blair were joining her and just occasionally looked awkwardly at one another, she groaned. "I demand a clean slate between the two of you. There, I said it. Now there's nothing you can do about it."

Lexi held up her hands in a 'zip it' manner when they both tried to speak. "Not listening. Clean slate. Instant friends. Now." Her expression made it clear that she meant business. "Do I make myself clear?"

This wasn't the first time Lexi had to do something like this. Blair could remember at least two other lives where this was pulled and they caved each time. This one was no different. "Yes," they both muttered in their own ways, making Lexi very pleased.

"Good." Lexi was beaming as she laughed, "Now let's dance!" When they both started to join in, she knew that progress had been made.

* * *

Once a pool table freed up, Lexi snagged it and made the three of them play a game together. It was starting to feel like old times and could tell Blair was feeling it, too. She was smiling in a way that reminded her of more than one of the lives she's known. Lexi was starting to think that was one of the things that would always be the same about her.

When all their drinks were empty, Lexi graciously took it upon herself to get more. That and she wanted an excuse to leave those two alone to see what happened. Lexi held out her stick. "Blair, play my turn. I'm gonna get us all some drinks. Is tequila still your poison?"

Blair took the cue stick with a laugh. "I haven't had tequila in a _long_ time."

"No time like the present then." Lexi twirled around on her feet and returned to the bar for several shots of tequila that were all compelled for. Instead of heading back to the pool table – where Blair and Stefan actually seemed to be talking, but based off what she eavesdropped on it was only small talk – she stopped by Elena's table.

"The famous Elena." Lexi set down one of the shots for her.

"Towel girl," Elena replied before saying, "Thanks."

"I've been called worse." Lexi wasn't offended by what Elena called her in the least.

Elena was surprised to see Lexi down a shot of tequila. "I didn't know you guys could drink."

"Oh yeah. It helps curb the cravings." Lexi leaned in a little closer to whisper, "But it makes for a lot of lushy Vamps."

Elena moved the straw around in her soda. "You know, I've never seen Stefan drunk. He always seems so…"

Lexi finished Elena's sentence for her. "Uptight."

That was pretty much where Elena was going. "Yeah. But not around you." She even noticed how Stefan was smiling around Blair. "Or Blair, it seems."

"Well that's the benefit for knowing someone for over a hundred years," Lexi explained. "You can just be yourself."

"That may explain you, but not her." Elena took in and released a deep breath.

Lexi took a previous assumption and went with it. "Of course it does. I know for a fact that at _least_ three of Blair's past lives have known Stefan. She may have a different face, but it's still her."

Elena knew what Lexi was talking about because Blair being the Cursed One was something Stefan told her about during the whole big Vampire reveal. They hadn't talked about it, though. Honestly Elena never intended to because it was just too bizarre but now that she knew Blair has known Stefan before, the subject might have to be brought up. Before then, she'd see what Lexi had to say. "They've known each other before?"

Lexi nodded with an, "Oh, yeah. She was Mina after all."

Now this was news to Elena, but she didn't let onto that. "Of course she was. Blair never talks about her past lives. In fact, Stefan was the one who told me about her. Guess he's not the only one who can't be themselves around me."

Meanwhile, Blair leaned back against the pool table with the cue stick in hand, looking over at Lexi and Elena. "What are they talking about?"

"If you're asking me to eavesdrop, not gonna do it," Stefan replied as he took the shot, only to have Blair's hand scoop up the cue ball before it could make contact. "That's not nice."

"You won't eavesdrop for me, I won't let you sink your shot." Blair grinned as she dropped the cue ball in his hand. "Now we're even."

Lexi returned to the pool table with no tequila shots – because she drank them all – and a slightly confused expression on her face. "Why wasn't Blair the one to tell Elena about being a Cursed One?"

"Because I don't want her to know," Blair answered as she lined up her cue stick then realized exactly what Lexi said and stood upright. "What do you mean why wasn't I the one to tell her? Who the hell told her?"

Blair's eyes instantly went to Stefan who couldn't meet her gaze. "You told her? Are you shitting me right now?!" She threw the stick down on the table and started to storm off but Stefan blocked her path.

Stefan needed her to hear his explanation. "It came out when I told her everything. Elena was worried about you living at the Boarding House so I told her so she wouldn't. I shouldn't have done it without your permission, I'm sorry."

Blair shook her head with a scoff. "That's why she wasn't fazed when I saw what happened with Vicki and everything after – because she knew I knew. I didn't even think about it – didn't question it. I should have, but that's what happens when your world is getting turned upside down at the drop of the hat. Sometimes you miss the details." She had nothing else to say to him so she walked away and went back to the bar for whatever she could convince the bartender to give her which – thanks to Lexi's previous compulsion about not needing to see ID – was anything she wanted.

Blair downed the first shot when Damon slid onto the stool beside her. "Ugh. What do you want, Damon?"

"I want us to be friends," he grinned in reply. "We used to be friends, once. Very _good_ friends."

She finished off another shot before turning to him. "You mean the time where you convinced Kris you were in love with her, screwed her, and then left her on a rooftop to die? I don't consider that very friendly behavior."

Damon brushed that off like it was nothing. "My humanity was off. That doesn't count."

"Everything counts with you, Damon." She slid him her final shot. "That's what makes you so dangerous." Her curly fries arrived at that moment, so she scooped the basket off the bar and went to find an empty seat.

Damon downed the shot and watched her go, thinking how weird it was that whenever he spoke to Blair she was like a fiery blend of Mina and Kris and who knows who else. Blair – at least to Damon – was like the walking personification of dejavu.

* * *

Blair was just about finished with her fries when she saw Lexi get dragged out by a couple of police officers. "No," she said to herself frantically and left her seat. She tried to get out the front doors the same time as Stefan but was told by two officers standing guard that they couldn't get out that way.

Stefan cocked his head for Blair to follow, planning on going out another way. It didn't surprise him to find that she was willing to follow his lead. After all, this was about Lexi.

Elena was right along with them as they went out the back and around the building. Gunshots rang out one after another so they picked up their speed. Just as they were about to turn the corner to get to Lexi, Damon appeared and staked Lexi right in the heart.

Blair screamed out but wasn't able to make a sound because Stefan's hand instantly went over her mouth. He pulled her out of view of Damon and the Sherriff and held her tight because she was trying very hard to get out of his grip.

"She's gone," Stefan quietly told her with his voice breaking. "There's nothing we can do now."

Blair's cries stopped but that didn't mean her tears did. When he released his grip on her, she turned around to face him. "Lex – Lexi…"

Stefan hugged Blair as she continued to cry and felt his own grief. "I know…I know."

Elena didn't know what to make of anything of this and just stood by not saying or doing anything. Perhaps it was shock that made her do nothing, she didn't know, but that's what she did nonetheless.

* * *

Later that night, when Blair finally went back to the Boarding House after getting her things from the Sherriff's residence, she found Damon in his room with a wound in his chest and a bloodied stake beside him. It made her blood boil that Stefan spared his life.

Damon chuckled wryly when she walked in. "Are you and my brother tag-teaming me? He spares me, you kill me?"

"I can't kill you. I'm not strong enough for that." Blair went over to Damon and crouched down in front of him. "But I swear to you that one day, maybe not in this lifetime, but one day I will kill you. I may not remember a lot of things but I will _**never**_ forget this. One day, I **will kill** you. You have my word on that."

Damon moved into a straighter sitting position as he groaned, "I did it to protect Stefan – to throw them off our trail."

"Bullshit!" she screamed at him. "I can't figure out why you would kill Lexi but it wasn't because of Stefan." A possibility entered her mind at that moment. "Or maybe it was. You really hate him that much, don't you? You hate him so much that you have to take away everything he loves." Blair took a deep breath to keep her voice from breaking. "You're pathetic, Damon. You're pathetic and bitter and you deserve to rot in hell."

Blair stormed out of the room and slammed the door behind her. In the hall she saw Stefan not too far away and there was no doubt he heard every word she said to Damon. "I never break my word, Stefan. One day I will kill him."

Stefan had no doubt about that. "I know." When she walked past him, he asked, "Where are you going?"

Blair picked up her bag from the landing. "My room. I had no idea Liz was hunting Vampires. I can't stay there anymore. I'd rather live under the same roof with the devil I know."

"What's to stop Damon from killing you in your sleep?" Stefan wouldn't put anything past his brother anymore.

Blair was pretty sure of her answer. "He won't, because he knows that I'll just come right back with more rage than ever."

Stefan didn't try and stop her from staying there because he had no doubt that she was probably right.

* * *

End Episode 8


	9. Emily

Harper Alden walked right into the Mayor's office without warning. The Mayor's assistant frantically ran after her, saying as she followed Harper in. "I'm sorry, I tried to stop her."

Mayor Richard Lockwood ended the phone call he was on with a brief, "I'll have to call you back," before turning his attention to his assistant. "It's alright, Valerie."

Valerie just gave a brief nod in reply as she backed out of the office, closing the door behind her.

Harper looked a bit amused by this turn of events. "You know, I've always seen that done in the movies, but I _never_ thought it'd work in real life."

"What can I do for you, Ms Alden?" Richard was in a bit of a mood – he had a lot on his mind especially since the Gilbert Watch was missing.

Harper sat in the chair across from his desk and cut to the chase. "As you know, Vivian has left Mystic Falls so here I am. Now while my sister is a wild card that will need to be dealt with, I have something else to discuss with you."

Richard wasn't surprised to find how Vivian's younger sister had the same…fire. After all, it was an Alden trait – especially among the women. "You are asking about the joining of the bloodlines, I presume?"

Harper nodded her head at this before speaking with her hand as she spoke. "If you hadn't driven your younger brother out of town then they would have been joined by now." Harper could tell he wondered how she could possibly know about Blair and his brother – The question was practically written all over his face. Instead of acknowledging it directly, she simply answered it. "I have my way of knowing things – Something my sister and I have in common."

Richard took a deep breath at this. "Given their age differences, that relationship was highly inappropriate. It is all in the past and Blair is with my son Tyler. Now _he_ is a far better match." Richard leaned back in his chair, looking at her curiously. "I know why your sister was so adamant to make good on a centuries old agreement, but why are you?"

"Likely the same as my sister's – Your lineage is strong and when a vow is made, it needs to be kept. Our ancestors failed to keep the vow, but this cannot continue any further. The Aldens and The Lockwoods were once two of the strongest Packs in this area of the country. Their names alone once commanded respect among our kind. Is it not your wish for it to be like that again?"

Richard didn't answer that and placed his hands in front of him on the desk. "I have not activated my curse and neither has my son. He doesn't even know what we are and neither does your daughter, or my wife for that matter. Vivian and I agreed once they turned eighteen Tyler and Blair would be told. Do you object to this?"

"No." Harper sighed a bit. "Blair has no desire to speak with me at the moment, so I am in no hurry to tell her she comes from a family of Werewolves."

With that settled, Richard moved onto what else needed to be discussed. "Before we get into Council matters…Why do you say Vivian needs to be dealt with?"

Harper's answer to this was simple. "Vivian has no true loyalty – she sides with whoever is paying her the most. If someone pays her enough…Well, let's just say I would hate to see what kind of damage would come from it."

* * *

Blair sat at the kitchen island at the House and poked at her pancakes. She just wasn't in the mood to eat them. She wasn't in the mood to eat or do anything. In all her lives she has lost numerous people – how could she not? – but this was different. Lexi knew her life after life – they always seemed to cross paths and reconnect. But now…now that would never happen again. No matter the lives that would come next, Lexi wouldn't be in any of them. How could she possibly let her friend go?

Blair realized she was crying and sniffled into a napkin. It was almost time for school and as much as she didn't want to go, it was better than being at the House. All Blair wanted to do was escape but she had run out of places to escape to. Even Wonderland wasn't an option anymore, her favorite place of all.

The doorbell rang, pulling Blair out of her mind. She shoved the plate of pancakes forward before going to see who it was. Upon seeing Tyler standing there, her brow furrowed a little. "Did I know you were coming by this morning?"

Tyler leaned forward and then back again as he answered. "Uh, no, but you haven't been answering my calls or texts so I thought why not try in person."

Blair sighed heavily because he had a point. She pretty much cut off all communication with people, him included. "I'm sorry, Tyler. I've just been going through some stuff."

Tyler figured he knew what she was talking about. "I heard your mom bailed. It sucks, Blair. I'm sorry." He looked behind her to see if either Salvatore brother was there and felt slightly better not to have seen them. "I don't like you being here alone with those guys. There's nowhere else you can go?"

"Not really." As much as Blair wished she could leave the Boarding House, she wasn't going to dump herself onto someone else. Liz's invitation was null in void as far as Blair was concerned because Liz was involved with Lexi's death. She was as angry with her as she was with Damon. Well, _almost_ as angry.

To get herself out of that thought train, she brought herself back to the matter at hand. "Don't worry about me, okay? I can handle myself and the Salvatore brothers won't mess with me."

Tyler still didn't like the idea. "You can crash at my place whenever you want."

Blair thought that was sweet but still laughed. "I don't think your parents would be too thrilled about your girlfriend crashing in your room."

Tyler smirked a bit. "I think they'd be pretty down with it. At least my dad would be. He's been giving me mad props ever since we started dating. I can pretty much get away with just about anything now."

"Mad props?" Blair couldn't even begin to think of a comeback to that. "Nope, not even going to start. Just take me to school and I'm going to completely ignore that entire statement."

Tyler reached through the doorway into the foyer and picked up Blair's bag from the floor. "Ladies first."

"Always." Blair put a grin on her face but her eyes gave her away. She was still feeling so sad and hated that she couldn't even begin to tell Tyler about it.

* * *

Blair sat in the front row of history class because by the time she forced herself to get there all the other seats were taken. She wasn't paying much attention to her surroundings and just started drawing in her notebook. Blair wasn't even aware of the new teacher coming into the classroom and writing his name on the board until he addressed the class.

When Blair looked up, she read the name 'Alaric Saltzman' on the board then looked at the face it belonged to. Her eyes widened a bit because holy hell she thought he was _very_ attractive. It was because of this that she dropped her head down and hoped like crazy he wouldn't call on her for anything. The last thing she needed on top of all the other stuff going on in her life was to get the hots for her teacher.

Now while he didn't call on her for anything during class, he did ask for 'Blair Alden' to stay afterwards. Blair winced and stayed in her seat until everyone else was gone, then got up and went to his desk. "Han," she corrected him.

Alaric looked at her with a bit of confusion. "Excuse me?"

"My last name," she clarified. "It's Blair Alden Han – No hyphen, FYI. But yeah, it's Han."

Alaric looked at the file on his desk and nodded. "Your previous teacher didn't have that listed, but I'll be sure to make note of it."

"Great." Blair was mockingly enthusiastic. "Now what's up?"

"Your grades," Alaric began to say but she cut him off before he had a chance to continue further.

"I'm pretty sure I have one of the highest averages in History, so what's wrong with my grades?" Blair crossed her arms, getting a little defensive now. Hot teacher or not, she wasn't going to let him give her crap about something she actually lived through and thus knew what she was talking about.

Alaric looked a bit amused. "If you would let me finish – I was going to tell you that you do have one of the highest averages in class, which is why I was wondering if you'd be willing to help another student."

"Not interested." Blair had enough stuff going on, she didn't need anything more added to it.

Alaric moved to sit on his desk and crossed his arms. "You're not even going to consider it? Tutoring would look good on your college applications."

"If I actually cared about going to college then I might be interested, but since I'm not…I'm not." Blair gestured to the door and started walking backwards towards it. "Is that all? Great. Later, Teach."

Before he could get another word out, she was gone. Since she wasn't willing to help the other student with their assignment then it seemed Jeremy Gilbert would be on his own, and Alaric would have to figure out another way to get to know the Alden history.

* * *

Blair didn't want to be at school anymore, she couldn't handle it. If she could compel her way out of never going back again then she would have. The idea of asking Stefan to do just that for her did cross her mind.

She walked out of the school and stopped in her tracks when she saw Stefan sitting on the picnic table nearby. Blair walked right over and sat on the table beside him. "About time you showed up. Granted you didn't miss much. New teacher in History – he's hot, so it's kinda distracting. Which is probably a good thing because I could use a distraction." She nudged his shoulder. "How are things in your neck of the woods?"

Stefan pretty much ripped off the band-aid with what he wanted to tell her. "I won't be coming to school anymore."

Blair quickly turned to face him when he said that. "Well lucky you. Vampire Stefan can get away with and get out of whatever the hell he wants." She swiped her bag off the bench and hopped off the table. "You knew what you were signing up for when you first came here, Stefan. What? Did you just think you and Elena would live happily ever after and everything would be all peaches and cream? Life isn't like that, Stefan! You and I both know that life is never that easy."

Stefan wasn't expecting this reaction from her and didn't know what it meant. "Blair…"

"No," she snapped. "You don't get to bail. This time it's _my turn_. I'm sick of seeing you and Elena together anyway. It's like history repeating again and again and I've had it. I'm done."

Blair stormed off without another word. The whirlwind she was feeling wasn't because of Stefan choosing not to go to school anymore – it was _everything_ else. Past feelings were bubbling to the surface, present losses were making it harder to deal with, and it seemed like no matter which way she turned her life was being thrown one way and then another. One would think that living life after life would give her a better handle on dealing with what could possibly come next, but it didn't. In fact…it probably made it even harder.

* * *

When Blair left school she hung out at the Grille for awhile then just started walking. She had no destination in mind and only went where her feet would take her. When Tyler texted her she did answer back if for nothing else than to avoid any potential drama. She wanted to talk to someone about stuff, she needed it. But she wasn't in a good place with Elena, Lexi was gone, she couldn't even think about being in the same room with Stefan at the moment, and if she was left alone with Damon then she'd likely try and kill him. No one else knew her – no one nearby anyway. There was another Vampire whom she did know from the past but she hadn't seen him in centuries. Besides, seeing him again would likely end up making her feel worse anyway. To top it all off, it'd open up a can of worms she'd rather keep closed forever. So, yeah, he wasn't an option either.

Blair stopped walking on the side of the road and realized that she'd have to let someone else into her 'Circle of Knowing' if she wanted to ever be able to talk about anything…but who? Who could she let in? She couldn't tell Jeremy because of what happened with Vicki, she had no idea what was going on in Bonnie's life so what right did she have to burden her with this, and Tyler…Tyler would likely think she was insane. Vivian knew and knew a lot but she left and Blair wasn't going to be the one to reach out – especially not after everything.

Blair was alone in her world. That's what it felt like to her anyway. While she may not be lonely in the world, she felt alone.

* * *

It was getting late and something – some sort of feeling made Blair pay attention to her surroundings. She was in the forest now, but not only in the forest…Blair was standing in front of the remains of the old church. "How in the hell did I end up here?" She had no recollection of walking there, especially since the last she knew she was walking around town.

"Because I wanted you here," Bonnie's voice answered from behind her.

Blair whipped around and jumped about fifty feet. "Bonnie? What the hell…" There was something different about Bonnie and that made Blair get a bit on the defensive side. "You're not Bonnie…are you?"

"You are correct, Mina. I am Emily." She smiled and bowed her head in greeting. Her expression changed quite a bit when she added in, "And now I need your sacrifice."

Blair's eyes shot open and she tried to run like hell, but Emily's magic stopped her from going anywhere. She was starting to freak out because she could not move. "Emily…please. _Please_ don't do this to me. I – I don't want to die again."

Emily used her magic to force Blair into a laying position on the ground in front of the church's remains. "Your blood holds so much power. I did not take it when I should have. I need it now." She started drawing the symbol around Blair's body, truly regretting this turn of events.

Blair tried so hard to get herself to move, but she couldn't even move a muscle. "Emily, please!" she cried out. "Whatever you need to do, just stop!"

"I cannot," Emily answered. "They cannot be released."

"What are you talking about?!" Blair screamed. "If you're going to kill me I deserve to know why!"

Damon walked towards them, clearly on a mission. "Hello, Emily. You look different." He tilted his head to the side, looking at Blair on the ground. "Hello, Blair, how you doing?"

"Bite me!" she seethed, not wanting to deal with him.

"Time enough for that later." He looked back to Emily. "Give me the Crystal."

"I can't let you have it." Emily was firm with her conviction. "Everything is different now. I need to protect my family."

"I protected your family," Damon shot back before saying more calmly, "You owe me."

This wasn't news to Emily. "I know. I'm sorry."

Damon was angry beyond words. "You're about to be a lot more than that." He sped towards Emily only to be thrown back by her magic and get impaled by a large tree branch.

"You should have aimed for his heart!" Blair shouted, all while trying to pull herself from the magic Emily was using on her.

Emily looked down at Blair with a bit of sadness in her eyes. "You have changed, Miss Mina."

Blair looked at Emily like she wanted to kill her. "Ya think?!"

"Perhaps your next life will be better." Emily waved her hands over Blair's, slicing them deep.

Blair winced sharply from the pain and soon started to feel weak as the blood flowed from the wounds at an unnatural rate. "Emily…please…" She was starting to feel a bit lightheaded.

"I'm sorry," Emily repeated. "But these people do not deserve to know such evil." She looked over to Damon and Stefan who arrived to help. Speaking directly to Damon, she said, "I won't let you unleash them into this world. To save her, I had to save all in the Church. With one comes all."

Blair's blood almost finished filling the symbol as Emily stood over her body. "I can't release them. I won't. I am sorry your friend had to pay the price for this. Her sacrifice will not be in vain." When the symbol was filled with the blood of the Cursed One, Emily called out, "Incendia!" The blood ignited and Emily removed the Crystal from around her neck. Despite Damon calling out 'No!', she threw the Crystal into the air and watched it explode. Emily had done all that was needed to do so she released her grip upon Bonnie's body.

Blair felt tears streaming down her face as she closed her eyes because she felt this was the end. A moment before Blair's life was about to cease, a foreign liquid moved down her throat to heal her. When it healed enough for Blair to react, she did. Blair gasped and held onto the arm that was feeding her the blood and kept drinking until she had enough to be completely healed.

Stefan held Blair close as he gave her his blood. He watched Mina die in the past and he wasn't going to watch Blair die now. "I got you," Stefan said as he held her. "You're not going anywhere."

* * *

Blair sat on a fallen log and listened to Stefan and Elena's explanation as to what happened. The gist was Bonnie got possessed by Emily – which Blair already knew – to destroy the Crystal that would unlock a tomb beneath Fell's Church. Inside the Tomb was Katherine…along with twenty-seven Vampires. Emily couldn't let them be released.

At the end of the summary, Blair nodded her head and looked to the ground while saying, "So Emily almost bled me to death to keep the Tomb from being opened?" She looked around with a strong desire to kill something. "Where's Damon?"

Elena looked at her oddly. "Why do you want Damon?"

Blair shot off the log and started to charge off. "Because I am sick of dying or almost dying because of Katherine! I can't kill her, so Damon will have to suffice."

Stefan stepped in Blair's path and placed his hands on her shoulders. "You can't go off and kill everyone who's ever hurt you, Blair."

"I can try!" she seethed while pushing him away.

Stefan held firm to keep her from doing something stupid. "Blair… _breathe_."

Blair looked at Stefan and took a deep breath. Her fury wasn't as intense now but she was far from being okay with everything. "I will never forgive you for not killing him when you had the chance."

Stefan felt like she'd just punched him in the gut. "Blair…" he wasn't able to get anything else out because she stormed off on him…again.

* * *

Later that night, Blair stood at the front porch of the Lockwood's house with her school backpack over one shoulder and a duffel bag over the other. When Tyler answered the door, she didn't even need to say a word. He held out his hand for her bag and when she handed it to him, he stepped aside to let her in.

Blair walked into the house and turned to Tyler. Her voice started to break as she said, "I need to tell you something, Tyler, and – and I really need you to listen to me. I need – I need you to believe me."

Tyler dropped her bag and went over to Blair. He cupped her face and looked right into her eyes as he vowed, "I'll believe you, Blair – no matter what it is." Tyler had no idea what she could possibly have to tell him, but he could tell it was something big so he was going to believe her no matter what it was.

Blair still thought that he would think she was insane, but she needed to talk to him about her Curse. She needed to talk to him about… _everything._

* * *

End Season 1 Episode 9


	10. Maybe

Things didn't go as planned with Tyler. Blair didn't even make it out of the foyer before Mrs Lockwood came in and made it abundantly clear that she wasn't allowed to stay the night. Tyler tried to get his mother to change her mind but it didn't work. Since Blair couldn't handle any more drama after everything else that happened, she just took her bags and left. Tyler called after her to stay but that didn't stop her from leaving.

After leaving Tyler's place, Blair actually found herself standing outside the motel Harper was staying at. She couldn't believe she was considering knocking on Harper's door. Blair was still processing the fact that Harper was her mother and not Vivian. There were so many questions and Blair wanted the answers, but she wasn't ready to deal with all that – Plenty of time for all that later…Right?

Blair didn't end up knocking on Harper's door and instead went to the Gilbert's house after shooting a text their way. She walked up the porch steps, knocked on the door, and waited.

Elena heard the knock first and went down to answer the door. She didn't expect to see Blair there, especially after everything that had happened with Emily earlier that night. "What are you doing here?"

Jeremy walked up behind his sister and opened the door wider. "Blair's crashing in my room tonight." He took Blair's duffel bag and cocked his head for her to follow. "Come on."

"I need to talk to her first." Elena looked back to Jeremy. "I just need a minute."

Jeremy shrugged with a, "Whatever," then headed upstairs with Blair's duffel.

With Jeremy out of earshot, Elena turned her attention back to Blair. "What are you doing here, Blair?"

Blair was completely worn out and tired beyond words. She was at her wit's end and wanted to sleep. "I need a friend, Elena. I'm not going to tell him anything if that's what you're worried about. I just need a friend."

"I know what you're going through, Blair." Elena was sincere with her words. "That's why I told Bonnie everything after what happened tonight. I needed a friend. Why can't we be that for each other, too? Seriously, why can't we be friends anymore? I know we've talked about this, but it doesn't feel like we've ever come to an answer, not really."

"Honestly?" Blair was too tired to care about what she said next. "When I look at you…it's like history repeating. I've tried to get over it – I've done my best to ignore it, but I can't keep it up anymore. I am _so tired_ and I just want to crash on my best friend's floor. Can I do that, please?"

Blair didn't give Elena a chance to respond and pushed past her to go upstairs and right to Jeremy's room. As soon as she walked in, Jeremy shot a pillow at her.

"You can have the bed. I'll sleep on the floor." He got himself comfortable, making it clear he wasn't going to budge on his decision.

Blair was too tired to argue and dropped her bag before climbing into bed with her clothes still on.

Before Blair actually fell asleep, Jeremy lifted his head to get a better look at her. "You want to talk about it?"

"About what?" Blair's voice was muffled due to being face down on the pillow.

Jeremy figured he knew what this was about so he answered based on that. "You're mom - Harper."

Blair moved onto her side to look at him. Yeah, Harper was a part of what she was feeling and at least that was something she could talk with him about. "I don't know if I want to get to know her."

"Then don't." Jeremy propped himself up on his arms. "Screw her. She doesn't deserve to just show up and expect to have a role in your life. You shouldn't _have_ to get to know her."

Blair smiled at his words because they actually made her feel a bit better. She couldn't help but tease him a bit. "You're smarter than you look, Gilbert."

Jeremy scoffed a chuckle at that with a sarcastic, "Thanks."

"You're welcome." Blair snuggled into the pillow. "Goodnight, Jer."

Jeremy got back into a comfortable position on the floor. "Night, Blair."

* * *

Blair woke up the next morning to find Jeremy at his desk with an open sketchbook. "If you're drawing me, that's creepy."

Jeremy laughed. "I'm not. Don't worry."

Blair stretched and went over to see what he was doing. "Can I see?"

"No." Jeremy gave her a playful 'back off' look and shooed her away. "Don't you have to get ready for school or something?"

"Touchy touchy." Blair mussed up Jeremy's hair before grabbing her duffel and going into the bathroom.

While she was in there, her phone buzzed once again. "Hey, check your phone when you're done. It's been going crazy all morning."

Blair was in the middle of brushing her teeth when she answered with a mouthful of toothpaste, "Check it for me?"

Jeremy set down his charcoal and turned on Blair's cellphone to find some messages and missed calls from Tyler. "Your boyfriend is trying to get ahold of you." He scrolled through and found a text notification from Stefan as well. "And so is Stefan."

Blair was done in the bathroom and opened the door as soon as he said that. "Thanks." She took her phone from him and after texting Tyler she'd see him at school, she read the message from Stefan. All it read was 'Can we talk?' and nothing else. She didn't have an answer for Stefan's text yet.

"I'll catch you later, Jer." Blair grabbed her backpack and headed for the door.

"Early morning hookup?" Jeremy teased and got a pillow thrown at his head in reply.

* * *

Blair walked onto the school's parking lot and was met almost instantly by Stefan. "What do you want?"

"Can we talk?" Stefan looked at her pleadingly. "Please."

Blair rubbed her forehead – a trait Stefan recognized since it was something Mina always did before caving in. "Fine." Blair looked at the nonexistent watch on her wrist. "You have one minute."

Stefan had a feeling she meant that to the second, so he didn't waste any time. "Damon and I aren't leaving Mystic Falls as planned. At least not right now. There's…" Blair cut him off before he had a chance to tell her about the unknown Vampire in town.

"Good." Blair acted like this wasn't a big deal and didn't really care one way or another when in truth she really did. "You should try to make it work with Elena then. You two deserve each other." She shrugged a bit nonchalantly. "And hey, what do I care anyway? I'm with Tyler. I can have a normal relationship with Tyler. There's no supernatural entities to worry about there and that's just what I need." Blair clapped her hand on his arm. "You deserve that, too. But, hey, thanks for telling me you're sticking around." She made a clicking sound accompanied with a finger gun as she backed up towards the school.

On a more serious note she said, "Minute's up," and turned her back to Stefan.

Stefan stood there feeling so confused and jumbled up inside. Blair had a knack for doing that to him. Maybe she was right, though. Maybe he should try and make it work with Elena if he did end up staying longer than planned. Stefan still wasn't sure if he should for a multitude of reasons but if for nothing else…he'd try in order to give Blair the space she clearly wanted. Maybe they weren't 'meant to be' in this life…Stefan had a hard time accepting that 'maybe' though.

* * *

Later that day, Blair met up with Tyler and Matt playing basketball. "Don't miss!" She jokingly called out to Tyler before he took a shot and he did miss because of it.

Tyler scoffed a "Thanks" for that before going over and greeting her with a kiss. "You okay? You looked pretty rough last night."

Blair had to give him that. "I was. We can talk about it later." She jokingly pushed him away saying, "Not too close. You're all sweaty."

"You love it," Tyler jokingly growled in reply and tried to hug her again but she bolted away.

Matt clapped his hand on the basketball he was holding. "Are we gonna play or what? Because this is pretty nauseating."

Tyler was going to let Matt slide, but that was before the nauseating comment. Now he turned the tables on his friend. " _Actually_ I want to hear more about you and Caroline."

Blair jumped right onto this train – She needed the distraction. With wide eyes turned towards Matt, she asked, "There's a you and Caroline?"

Tyler interjected before Matt could speak. "You didn't see them together in the hallway? Pretty cozy, I tell ya."

"Can you two go back to hating each other? I think I preferred dealing with that over dealing with…" Matt waved his hand between them, "… _this_."

Blair clasped her hands together and rested them on Tyler's shoulder. "Do you think they've become 'we people' yet?"

Matt had no idea what they were talking about. "We people?"

Tyler answered with a bit of mocking emphasis. "You know. _We_ can't make it to the party. _We'll_ never miss a game. _We_ don't like the color red."

Matt took that moment to take a shot at Tyler and Blair. "You mean like the two of you?"

"Oh, no," Blair answered. "Tyler and I are not 'we people'. There's no joined at the hip at all times here."

"Although, that wouldn't be a bad thing." Tyler clearly meant something different as he checked her out.

Blair grabbed his chin and raised his face to look at hers. "Mind out of the gutter, Lockwood. We're trying to find out what's going on between Matt and Caroline."

Tyler gave her a mocking salute. "Yes, Han."

When Tyler and Blair both looked at Matt, he sighed and shot the basketball towards the hoop. "There's nothing going on. We hung out, like, twice."

Blair gestured between herself and Tyler. "Tyler and I hated each other, and now we're dating. So I'm pretty sure that makes you and Caroline practically engaged by now."

Tyler caught the basketball and looked at Blair. "Oh, yeah, they're 'we people'."

* * *

After school, Blair got a call from Damon. She was fully prepared to rip him a new one for even considering calling her. She whipped her hair away from her ear and answered her cell. "You've got a lot of nerve calling me."

Damon ignored her greeting. "As much as I hate to say this, I need your help finding the new Vampire in town."

Blair stopped dead in her tracks. "The new **what** in town?"

Damon was actually a bit surprised she didn't already know about the Vampire. "Stefan didn't tell you? He said he was going to tell you. Whatever. Are you going to help me or am I going to have compel Blondie to do it?"

Blair pinched the bridge of her nose in an attempt to control her temper. "What the hell do you need me for that you can't do for yourself?"

Damon pulled his car up beside Blair who was standing on the sidewalk as he answered. "Get in and find out."

Blair narrowed her eyes at him as she forcibly ended the call. She walked over to his convertible and slammed her hands down on the door.

Damon took a bit of offense to that. "Hey, keep the claws in. Watch the paint."

"Shut up before I key the damn thing." Blair threw the door open and got into the car before slamming it. "Let's get taking care of this Vampire over with before I stake you instead."

Damon answered that by tossing the Gilbert Compass into her lap. "I'm gonna have to explain a couple things first."

Blair picked up what looked like Jeremy's pocketwatch but opened it to find a Compass inside instead. "You better."

* * *

Damon explained to Blair how the Compass was used to find Vampires and since he interfered with the signal he needed someone else to handle it. So he dropped Blair off in the Town Square with it and got as far away from her as needed so the Compass wouldn't just direct her to him.

Blair stayed on the phone with Damon to make sure she wasn't following his direction anyway, but didn't speak unless she was checking his location. Finally, the Compass lead her to a warehouse. Now she just had to wait for Damon to arrive.

Damon appeared behind her and took the Compass from her hand. "I'll take it from here."

Blair scoffed, "Seriously? You just wanted me to find the thing and not help kill the thing?"

Damon had a look of consideration on his face. "I could use you as bait."

Blair almost put up a fight about this but it fully sunk in that she'd actually have to work with him and that just didn't sound too appealing to her. "You know what – Nevermind. In fact, I hope this new Vampire kills you."

As Blair walked off, Damon called out, "You'd miss me if I died…again. Admit it!"

The only response Blair gave to that was flipping him off without looking back.

Damon instantly thought of Kris when she did that because it was so a Kris thing for her to do. He didn't think too much about it because he had other things to deal with. So after he put the Compass into his pocket, he headed into the warehouse.

Meanwhile, when Blair walked down the street she was met by Harper.

It was completely coincidental but Harper was glad to see her. "Hello, Blair."

Harper was one of the last people Blair wanted to deal with. How she said, "Harper," for her greeting made that pretty clear.

Harper stepped in front of Blair to keep her from walking away and noticed the Black Kyonite ring on Blair's hand before she spoke – she was surprised that Vivian kept her word on that but didn't address it. Blair would eventually find out what that Ring would do for her. "I have something for you."

Harper fished into her bag and pulled out a set of keys along with some paperwork. "I rented out an apartment in your name. The rent is taken care of for the next twelve months. You shouldn't have to live at the Boarding House with those two young men and no parental supervision." She took a deep breath before continuing. "Liz told me you refused to stay with her like she offered so this was what seemed logical to me."

Blair scoffed incredulously. "Getting your seventeen year old daughter an apartment to live in _alone_ is what seemed logical to you?"

"Yes." Harper handed the keys and paperwork over. "This is your own home. You can control who gets invited in or not. Besides, your history teacher offered to keep an eye out for you."

Blair wanted to question why Harper said what she did about being able to control who gets invited in, but what was said about her history teacher made her do a double-take instead. "Excuse me?"

"I met Alaric Saltzman when I was checking out the place. He lives down the hall from the apartment I got for you." Harper extended her hand further. "Just take this, please. I know the apartment and the money in the account I set up for you don't make up for anything but I need to do something. I need to know you're taken care of even if you don't want anything to do with me."

Blair was having a mental overload so she just rubbed her forehead and took the stuff from Harper in order for this turn of events to come to an end already.

Harper smiled when Blair took the things from her. "Don't worry about furniture – it's fully furnished and I stocked up the kitchen, including a drawer for take-out though there's not much variety in Mystic Falls."

Blair almost cracked a smile at that but kept herself from doing so as she put the keys and papers into her bag.

Harper knew when it was time to take her leave, so that's what she started to do. "I hope you like it."

"Did you love my dad?" Blair didn't even realize she had said anything until the last word came out of her mouth.

Harper stopped mid-step and turned to face her. She nodded with a melancholy look upon her face. "I did. I loved him very much, but he was a bit older than me. When people heard we were together…it didn't go over well. Vivian covered for us and told everyone that she was the one with Jae and not me. They pretended to date so Jae and I could be together but…they ended up falling for each other. Then I found out I was pregnant and…I think you know the rest." She waited a moment before adding in, "I don't know what you've heard, but what I've said…That's the truth."

Harper looked around and let out an awkward breath. "I didn't imagine having this conversation in the middle of an empty sidewalk."

Blair had an admission of her own. "I didn't imagine having this conversation at all. I didn't want anything to do with you. A part of me still doesn't."

"I get that. I do. And I don't expect you to automatically love and accept me, but maybe we don't have to start with love and acceptance." Harper looked at her hopefully. "Maybe we can just start with 'hello'?"

Blair thought about it for a moment and before she made herself change her mind, she extended her hand. "Hello."

Harper thought she was going to cry as she shook Blair's hand. "Hello."

Blair cleared her throat and moved some hair behind her ear. "Okay…bye." She turned around and walked away before things got weirder.

Harper stood there until Blair turned a corner out of sight. It was that moment she waved saying quietly, "Bye, Blair."

* * *

Harper went to the High School that evening. Richard Lockwood and Liz Forbes were already there chaperoning the 'Plan the Path for Your Future' career night, so she killed two birds with one stone by speaking with them together – She'd tell Richard what happened with Blair and get the Vampire update from Liz.

Richard was the first to see her coming towards them and asked in a hushed tone, "Have you spoken to Blair yet?"

"Did you doubt me?" Harper saw the looks exchanged between Richard and Liz, and sighed. "Yes, I spoke with Blair. She accepted the keys and bank account."

Richard was pleased to hear this. "Good. Now we know she'll be safe."

Liz had a difference of opinion. "Damon Salvatore dealt with the Vampire head on. I'm certain Blair would have been safe if she stayed at the Boarding House."

"If nothing else, Blair needs a place to call home," Harper retorted. "She hasn't had that for a long time, correct?"

Liz didn't meet her look because she knew Harper had her there.

Richard moved on from this topic as he started walking with them. "How are things proceeding, Liz?"

Liz knew exactly what he was referring to and answered. "My highly reliable deputies are all on alert, but if you feel the need to be more proactive, by all means, grab a stake and have at it."

Harper almost made a using the full moon comment but caught herself. As far as she knew, neither Liz nor the rest of the Council were aware of the existence of Werewolves, so she was going to keep it that way – Besides, it's not like her Werewolf curse was triggered either. So, instead she said, "If there are stakes being handed round, I'll take one."

Richard stopped at the refreshments table. "What extra precautions can we take?"

"For right now, there's nowhere safer than a crowded public place." Liz had to add in, "And for once, Mayor, we know where our kids are."

As if on cue, Blair walked into the Fair, making Harper say, "That we do. But I should leave before I'm noticed. Call me if anything comes up." Harper took one last look at Blair before leaving. They made a little progress that day, but she wasn't going to push it.

Blair didn't even notice Harper was there and went over to Tyler who was checking out the art station. "See anything you like?"

"I do now." Tyler grinned and draped his arm around her.

"What? You don't like your own stuff?" Blair tapped on Tyler's drawing in the book.

"I'd rather look at yours." Tyler flipped the book to the sketch she made of a guy who looked like he was from the Medieval times or something. "Though I'm not sure how I feel about you drawing other guys."

Blair looked away from the sketch of the man she knew long ago and returned her eyes to Tyler. "Well, if you agreed to pose for me then I wouldn't have to find inspiration elsewhere."

Before Tyler could respond to that, he noticed Jeremy looming nearby. "What do you want?"

Blair swatted Jeremy's chest a bit for that. "Be nice."

Jeremy wasn't meaning anything with his presence, he was just surprised and said so. "Just surprised to see you here. Art usually implies culture, and culture implies, well, not you."

All Tyler had to say to that was "Go to Hell," before walking away.

At Jeremy's smug look on his face, Blair smacked his arm. "Do you really need to be such an ass?"

Jeremy laughed at that. "Oh come on. Even you have to admit he deserved that."

Blair scoffed and flipped the page back to Tyler's sketch and tapped it. "I think you have to admit that he didn't." She didn't have anything else to say to him about that and left the table.

Jeremy looked down at the impressive sketch and almost didn't believe it when he saw Tyler's signature at the bottom. Perhaps he was wrong about Tyler… _maybe._

Blair went into the hall to check out the other tables but stopped when she saw Stefan coming towards her. She really didn't want to talk to him again, especially since he failed to mention the new Vampire in town – but she wasn't about to admit that she didn't really give him a chance to. Evasive maneuvers kicked in and Blair went in the opposite direction.

Her plan was to leave the school but that didn't go over well thanks to Alaric Saltzman coming in just as she was trying to leave.

"Leaving already?" Alaric chuckled when they almost ran into each other.

"I've seen all I need to see," Blair replied. "Night, Teach."

Alaric held the door closed to keep her from going anywhere. "Did you really see everything?"

Blair's expression hardened a bit as she looked at him. "I've seen more than you can imagine. Look, I get that my – that Harper asked you to look out for me, but I'm not your responsibility. If it's not class related then it's none of your business." She pushed the door open this time, and walked past him.

Alaric didn't try and stop her but a part of him was wondering whether or not he should have.

Blair went out into the parking lot and dropped her face in her hands. After letting out an exasperated breath, she threw her hands down and composed herself. "Get it together, Han."

"Doing alright, Blair?" Logan asked as he walked over to her.

"Peachy," she shot back and sighed heavily. Blair didn't know that Logan was a Vampire, hence why she wasn't acting any differently toward him.

Logan laughed at her reply. "If you're trying to scare me off with your attitude, it's not going to work. I used to babysit you, remember?"

Blair rolled her eyes and scoffed at that. "Bye, Logan."

Logan had a bone to pick with the Council and wanted to get to them by going after their kids, so he wasn't going to let her get away that easily. "You could walk away or I could tell you what I know about your parents. As in your _real_ parents."

When Blair stopped dead in her tracks, he looked pretty pleased with himself. "I thought that'd get your attention. More people than you think know Harper is your mother. At least, they all suspect it. It was quite the scandal."

Blair turned around on her heels. "What makes you think I don't know all about it?"

Logan grinned a bit. "Because you stopped."

Blair narrowed her eyes at him in annoyance.

"Come on." He cocked his head towards his nearby car. "Let me give you a ride home and I'll tell you everything I know on the way."

Blair took a deep breath as she rubbed her forehead. "Fine," she muttered and went with him to his car. After getting in, she started buckling up while saying, "This better not be some setup for me to give Jenna a good word about you or…" Blair didn't get a chance to finish her statement because Logan smashed her head into the window so hard that not only did it break her skin but render her unconscious.

Logan knew how much Blair meant to not only the Aldens of the Council but the Mayor and Liz as well. Why she meant so much to them, he didn't know, but she was the perfect target to make them pay.

* * *

When Blair woke up, she was in her room at the Boarding House with one hell of a headache.

Stefan moved closer to her saying, "Hey, you're alright."

"Why did Logan smash my head in the window?" Blair groaned in pain. "And where is he so I can kill him?"

Stefan answered her questions in order. "Logan is a Vampire and Damon is dealing with him." He reached out and touched the cut on her forehead. "That's gonna leave a mark. You want some blood?"

Blair touched the spot herself and winced a bit. "Might as well. It's not like it can turn me into a Vampire anyway." At Stefan's questioning look, she explained. "It's part of the Curse. Gotta die to become a Vampire. If I die with Vampire blood in my system it doesn't do anything to me – I don't transition. My next life usually ends up being a Vampire when that happens, now that I think about it."

Stefan bit into his wrist and held it out for her. He let her take what she needed before moving his arm down. "Maybe you should be the one leaving Mystic Falls."

Blair wiped her mouth and scoffed. "And why's that?"

"It's not safe for you here." Stefan was even more worried about her now than before.

"It's not safe for anyone if you think about it." Blair laughed and got off the bed.

Stefan got off as well and walked over to the vanity table with her. "I've seen you die before, Blair. I – I don't think I could handle seeing it again."

Blair looked at Stefan's reflection in the mirror. "We've both seen people die, Stefan. Should be used to it by now."

Stefan looked at her thoughtfully. "Are you getting used to it?"

Blair closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. "No. Of course not."

Stefan spoke softly into her ear, "Then what makes you think it'd get any easier for me watching you die?"

Blair opened her eyes and no longer saw Stefan's reflection in the mirror. She turned around and found he wasn't in her room at all. Blair wasn't entirely sure why, but she felt like crying and she did.

Earlier when Harper gave her the keys to the apartment, Blair didn't really have any intention of moving into that apartment but now she wanted it more than anything. She took a deep breath, wiped away her tears, and packed up everything she could carry. Blair wasn't going to sleep at the House that night…she couldn't. Not anymore.

With a few bags in hand, she went outside and looked up at the full moon. She used to love seeing it up in the night sky, but in this life all it seemed to do was make her blood boil and she had no idea why.

* * *

Blair didn't have a whole lot of stuff so the few bags, along with the one she picked up at Jeremy's, that was pretty much it. After staying up to put all her stuff away in her apartment, she looked around. It didn't really sink in that she was going to be alone until that moment.

Blair would sleep there but with how she was feeling, it was the last place she wanted to be. So she grabbed her bag and left. Where she was going to go, she wasn't sure, but knew she didn't want to be there.

She ended up in the Town Square and just sat on a bench there. The events of that night went through her mind and somehow she ended up going back again and again to the sketch that was featured at the art table. When Blair was given the assignment she played it off like she just imagined him – that he didn't exist. But he did exist and in one life he meant so much to her. In that life, she gave him all her love…only for him to give his heart to another.

Was that part of her Curse? She wondered. Would the ones she loved end up loving another and somehow – whether directly or indirectly – be the cause of her death? That seemed to be the pattern as far as she could remember and it was heartbreaking.

Blair was pulled from her thoughts when her cellphone started to ring. She didn't even look at it when she answered. "Hello?"

"Did you know?" a distraught Elena asked from the other end of the line as she drove her car.

"Elena? Did I know what?" Blair had no idea what she was talking about.

"Did you know I looked like her?!" Elena emotionally shouted back. "Did you know I looked like Katherine?"

Blair was rendered speechless by this question.

Her silence was all the answer she needed. "You did. You did and you didn't tell me?! What the hell, Blair?!"

Blair was about to say something but the sound of a crash from Elena's end took precedence. "Elena?" She stood to her feet and called out again, "Elena, are you alright?!" Blair didn't get an answer because the call got disconnected. "Oh my god." Her hands were trembling as she dialed Stefan's number.

"Pick up. Pick up." Blair repeated over and over as she waited for him to answer. When he finally did, she frantically said, "You need to find Elena. I think she's been in an accident."

* * *

End Season 1 Episode 10


	11. What

Blair stormed into the Salvatore Boarding House. Her emotions were one hell of a whirlwind on top of her already enraged temper. Elena knew about Katherine and from the sounds of the phone call she had been in an accident. And Blair, well Blair blamed Stefan for all of it.

"Stefan!" she shouted as she moved quickly through the place. He clearly wasn't in the lower area of the House, so she started for the staircase. Blair was about to dart up there to look for him but stopped when she heard someone come into the House.

Blair went down and found Stefan coming in through the front door. Without thinking before acting, she stormed over to Stefan and shoved him. "How the hell did Elena find out?! Where is she?!"

It took Stefan a second to process her instant rage. "She was in my room. She got thirsty so I went to get her something." He didn't even get the chance to tell her that he found the accident site but Elena wasn't there.

"You didn't think to hide Katherine's picture _before_ leaving her alone in your room?!" Blair clearly wasn't letting her rage go. It was clouding her so much that she completely missed the whole 'where is Elena' side of it all.

"I had other things on my mind." Stefan tried to be subtle with his reply, but that just made things worse.

Blair would swear she saw red when he said that and did something she didn't think through. Blair pulled her arm back and punched Stefan across the face.

Stefan didn't feel like he deserved that whatsoever and decided not to hold back what he was thinking anymore. He rubbed his jaw before asking, "What are you more upset about, Blair? The fact Elena found out or the fact I slept with her?" When Blair looked away without answering, he knew he wasn't going to get an answer for that. This made him ask something else. "Why did you encourage me if you…"

Blair shouted her answer before he even had a chance to finish his sentence. "Because I thought it was what you wanted!"

Stefan was taken aback by her answer – It wasn't what he was expecting to hear.

In his silence, she asked him, "Do you remember the last thing you said to Minnie? You said something along the lines of, 'If you still loved me then you would do anything for me'." Blair had to swallow a lump in her throat before continuing. "A feeling as strong as that doesn't fade away so easily."

Blair crossed her arms and cleared her throat, not looking at him. Instead, she asked him, "Where's Elena now?"

Stefan accepted the topic change for the moment but was not going to let this go. "She's with Damon."

Blair stared at him and blinked a few times. "Elena's with who now?" Since she wasn't expecting an answer, she popped her lips and went over to the drink cart. "Well, at least we know she won't get hurt." Blair poured herself a drink.

Stefan's brow furrowed a bit. "What makes you say that?"

Blair took a sip before answering. "She looks like Katherine. Which probably means he's falling for her, too." She downed the glass and poured herself another. "Falling for the face instead of the soul. Ridiculous."

* * *

Blair left Stefan to do what he wanted in regards to finding Elena. She truly believed that Damon wasn't going to hurt Elena. Now if Blair herself was the one taken by Damon off to who knows where, she wouldn't be as confident. It was because of this confidence that Blair went to school and acted like everything was normal.

As soon as Blair walked onto the school grounds, Jeremy went straight for her, saying, "So you won't talk to Harper but you're living in an apartment she paid off?"

Blair looked at him and laughed. "How the hell did you hear about that?"

Jeremy's answer to this was simple enough. "Jenna's not as quiet on the phone as she thinks she is."

"Can't argue with you there." Blair adjusted her backpack as they walked towards the school together. "What can I say, Jer? I wanted the apartment." She grinned at him after saying that.

"Even you aren't that selfish," Jeremy countered. He draped his arm around her shoulders. "I'm not trying to give you any crap, Blair."

"I know." Blair hugged him as they walked. "I'm glad I can talk to you about her."

"Doesn't Tyler know?" Jeremy asked curiously.

Blair looked up at Jeremy, with her arms still wrapped around him as they walked, and said, "He knows." She returned her gaze forward. "I just – I don't know. I guess we just never really go into the details of the important stuff."

Jeremy felt pretty good about that. "So does this mean I'm more important than your boyfriend?"

Blair stopped walking and removed her arms to stand in front of him. "Jeremy, you will always be more important to me than any boyfriend. You're my best friend."

Jeremy acted like he was going to cry and started fanning himself. "I think I need a moment."

Blair playfully shoved him for that before walking away. "Jackass."

"You know you love me!" Jeremy called back as he headed for the parking lot to talk to Mr Saltzman.

* * *

Blair had free period so she sat outside the school at one of the free tables. Her sketchbook was out in front of her and she was in the zone. At least that was until a hand shot out and slammed on the paper in front of her. "What the hell?!" She looked up to see that the hand belonged to Bonnie. "What do you want?"

"I've waited long enough, Blair," was Bonnie's instant reply. "Now it's time for answers." She sat down beside Blair and got right to it. "I can't access my magic and my Grams says I need to face what I'm afraid of. You're a part of that."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Blair gathered up her things and tried to leave, but Bonnie grabbed hold of her arm to stop her.

Bonnie couldn't let her leave that easily. "I know you know what I am, but I don't know what you are. That's part of what's scaring me, Blair. What did Emily want with you?"

Blair took a deep breath before releasing it. She was going to proceed to act like she had no idea what Bonnie was talking about but failed. Blair rubbed her forehead before caving in. "Not here. I'll meet you at the other part of what's scaring you in an hour."

"You know?" Bonnie wasn't expecting to hear that.

"If I'm part of the equation, it's not that hard to figure out where the location is." Blair pulled her sketchbook off the table and left.

* * *

About an hour later, Blair sat on one of the fallen walls at the old Fell's Church. She heard Bonnie approach and started talking before anything could be said to her. "I knew Emily in 1864. No, I'm not a Vampire or an Immortal like in Highlander…I'm Cursed. I'm Cursed to live life after life. When I die in one life I come back in another. This makes my blood powerful. Emily wanted my blood in 1864 for some spell but I refused to give it to her. I don't have a habit of trusting Bennett Witches. I've been burned by them in the past."

Bonnie moved to stand in front of her. "How are you Cursed?"

Blair shrugged. "Hell if I know." She didn't know who her 'Soul-Source' was. That's what she called her original life anyway. Blair hopped off the wall and walked up to Bonnie. "Any other questions?"

Bonnie had just one. "Is this why you never liked me—Because my family hurt you in the past?"

Blair nodded. "Yeah. Pretty much. It didn't help when they framed me for being a Witch during the Salem Trials so they could escape while I was being burned." Blair had to make something abundantly clear, "Just because I'm telling you this, doesn't make us friends." She proceeded to walk away. "Good luck with your magic."

* * *

Blair went back to her apartment to find Harper sitting on the floor in the hallway. "Uh…hi?"

Harper stood up with a bit of a groan then smiled. "Hello. I have an invitation to extend to you and since you're not answering your phone, I am here in person."

Blair pulled her phone from her pocket and found the ringer was off. "I don't even remember doing that."

"Auto-pilot," Harper reasoned. "I'm afraid you get that from me. So much stuff going on in your head that your body just does things while not paying attention to all the details."

Blair scoffed a chuckle. "You have no idea. But it's nice to know I have someone to blame it on." She paused before putting the key in the door. "What's the invitation?"

Harper pointed to the phone in Blair's hand. "If you checked your texts then you would find at least one from your boyfriend. Tyler's parents have invited us over to their house for dinner tonight."

Blair's face hardened a bit at this. "They all know who you are?"

Harper lied when she said, "Uh, no," and quickly added in, "but since Vivian isn't here anymore that makes me the only other Alden in town. Now that you and Tyler are dating they want us all to get to know each other better or something."

Blair crossed her arms and stared her down. "What's the big deal with us dating? Does this have anything to do with our ancestors being engaged then not?"

"You have one of the journals? Nice. I thought they were all taken down south." Harper was impressed to hear that.

By this time Blair had opened the door and they were now in the small kitchen. "Down south?"

"Most of the Aldens live in the New Orleans area now," Harper explained. "Our family made a big move down there in the late 1800's. A few stragglers stayed behind, but not many. Now to answer your question – The Aldens and the Lockwoods had an arrangement. An Alden daughter would wed a Lockwood son and unite the families. We were a pretty big deal in these parts back in the day."

Blair slid a can of soda across the little kitchen island to Harper. "And, what? The families of now want to make good on a century's old arrangement?" She found that laughable.

Harper shrugged a bit. "Pretty much."

"Our families are stupid." Blair had no shame in saying that.

Harper merely shrugged again. "I think it's kinda nice. It's like your living history here in the now. I think that's pretty damn cool."

Blair stared at her blankly. "I'm living history all day, every day. I'm good in that department, thanks."

Harper had no idea what Blair was talking about. She didn't know that Blair was the Cursed One – Vivian never told her that. "Uhm…how so?"

Blair realized her error and waved her hand like it was nothing. "Just referring to all the history homework Mr Saltzman assigns us. That's all."

Harper narrowed her eyes at her daughter but didn't say anything further about it. "Whatever. So, are you going to get changed for the dinner or what?"

"I never said that I was going. I'm all for spending time with Tyler but dinner with the parents? I'll pass." Blair took her soda and went into the living room area. "Too serious for my blood."

Harper followed her because things weren't going the way she expected them to. "Look, I'm sorry about the whole ancestors' arranged marriage thing. I officially take off all pressure and if things get too serious then I will segue into something else." She held up her hand with the Girl Scout's salute. "You have my word."

Blair rubbed her forehead with a groan. "Fine. I'll go. But be warned, there will be underaged drinking on my part."

Harper turned around, saying, "I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that." She set her can of soda on the counter and headed for the door. "I'll meet you at the car."

Blair was about to as her what the hell she was supposed to wear, but Harper left the apartment before she could say a word. On her way to her bedroom, she remembered that she didn't verbally invite Harper in. "Well, at least I know she's not a Vampire."

* * *

Later that night, Blair sat awkwardly at the Lockwood's dinner table with Harper beside her and Tyler across. Everything was set pretty fancy and felt wrongly dressed in her black and white daisy patterned tea dress, leather jacket, fishnet tights, and combat boots. She never cared how she looked before but she could feel Carol Lockwood's eyes boring into her and that was starting to get under her nerves.

To break the silence that's been looming since the meal started, Blair said, "Everything is delicious, Mrs Lockwood."

"Thank you, Blair." Carol was going to leave it at that but at the look her husband was giving her to say more, she did. "I must admit I am surprised to find someone so young knowing the proper utensils to use. Tyler here would eat with the serving fork if he was allowed."

"Better than whatever this tiny fork is used for." Tyler held up the smallest one from the setting with a 'whatever' expression before putting it back.

"I've had a lot of practice," Blair admitted. "Been in far more fancy settings than I care to admit."

A not-so-genuine smile spread across Carol's face before saying, "Based off your attire, I never would have guessed."

Tyler came to Blair's defense. "I think she looks great."

Richard interjected a bit there. "I'm sure Blair just hasn't had a chance to unpack everything yet."

Blair looked at him peculiarly. "Excuse me?"

"Your new apartment," Richard answered before taking a sip of wine.

This was the first Tyler had heard of this. "You have your own apartment?"

Harper gave Richard scolding eyes before jumping in. "I just got it for Blair. It was time she had a place of her own."

"A young girl living all on her own?" Carol did not sound too pleased about this. "That's just asking for trouble."

Harper could tell Blair's blood was boiling because Harper's own was doing the same, but she contained it better than her daughter. She placed a hand on Blair's arm to tell her she'd deal with it and did. "Blair happens to be very responsible for her age. She is also very proud. There is nothing wrong with her having a place of her own. I'm sorry you don't have the same faith in your own son. It's quite nice feeling that for your child."

Carol was about to give Harper a piece of her mind but stopped herself when Richard cleared his throat and said, "Well, this was a lovely meal. Tyler, I think the adults have taken up enough of your time. Why don't you take Blair into town for dessert?"

Tyler wasn't going to turn down this opportunity for escape. "Thanks."

Blair left the table with a fake smile upon her face. "Thank you for a lovely dinner." As she walked out with Tyler, she added in quietly so only he could hear, "We are never doing this again."

* * *

Blair and Tyler sat on a bench in the Town Square with their bowls of ice cream that evening. Between bites, Tyler asked, "When were you going to tell me you had your own apartment?"

"I literally only brought my stuff over to it last night," Blair answered with a mouthful of ice cream and her hand in front of her mouth to keep Tyler from seeing it. After swallowing, she added in, "It doesn't feel like mine. Harper paid it off for a year and put a whole bunch of money into an account for me. I have no clue how I'm supposed to feel about it."

Tyler didn't get what she was trying to say. "Who cares? A solo apartment _and_ free cash? Don't question it Han, accept it."

Blair opened her mouth to try again and explain what she meant but seeing him take another bite of ice cream and smile made her stop. This wasn't something she wanted to get into. At least, not with him. Laughing a bit, she said, "I'm not having a party, if that's what you're thinking, Lockwood."

He was very expressive with his playful disappointment. "No party?! What?! You have to have a party."

"I don't _have_ to do anything," she smugly countered with a wide grin.

Tyler used his spoon to point at her. "Mark my words, Han. I'll convince you to have a party."

Blair used her spoon to point at Tyler to mock his previous action. "Good luck with that, Lockwood. It'd be interesting to see you try."

* * *

Blair woke up early the following morning and sat in the chair by the window. That was probably the only thing she truly loved about her apartment – how the sunlight shone through that one particular window first thing in the morning. For the first time in a long time there wasn't anything on her mind. She just sat there and looked out through the glass at nothing in particular. Blair could have sat there forever but the knock at the door prevented anything even close to that from happening.

She got up from the chair with a groan and went to answer it. Blair figured it was either Harper or Mr Saltzman. Well it was more likely the former than the latter. It was this thought that made her surprised to see Stefan standing on the other side of the door. "What are you doing here?"

"Elena is back. She's fine." Stefan stepped as close to the doorway as he could get. "But there's something else we need to talk about. Can I come in?"

Blair crossed her arms firmly. "No. Whatever it is you have to say you can tell me right here."

Stefan didn't think that was a good idea. "This really isn't hallway talk."

Blair smiled in mock sweetness. "I'd prefer it like this. That way if I don't like what you have to say I can just slam the door in your face and you can't stop it."

Stefan looked down and sighed. "I wanted you to hear this from me in case Elena brought it up." He took a moment to essentially gather up the guts to tell her. "I was there, the day your father's car went off Wickery Bridge. I'm the one who got you and Elena out."

Blair was having a hard time processing this. "What – what are you saying to me?"

"I heard the accident but by the time I got there it was too late. The car was already submerged. Elena's father and yours were awake. Neither would let me help them until I helped you and Elena. So…I did. And when I got back to the van…they were gone."

Blair felt her heart pounding in her chest as her body filled with grief and rage. She shoved him further into the hall and stepped out to yell at him. "You should have saved _**him**_! You should have saved him and not me! He was the best! He – he was…" She couldn't get her sentence out because Stefan hugged her tight. Even as she tried to push him away, he wouldn't let her go so she broke down in tears instead. "I miss him _**so much**_."

Stefan wished she didn't have to know this but if Elena told her instead of him then that would have made things even worse. "I'm so sorry, Blair. I'm _so sorry_."

They pulled apart when the door down the hall opened and Alaric stepped out to see what was going on. "Everything alright out here?"

"Everything's fine." Blair went back into her apartment after Alaric did, and said to Stefan, "You're not welcome here," before doing what she said she'd do if she didn't like what he had to say – she slammed the door. Blair rested her head against the door before sliding down to the floor in tears. She didn't know that Stefan was sitting against the wall on the other side. It was almost like they were parallel lines – always close but never together.

* * *

End Season 1 Episode 11


	12. Rockin' Robin

Blair was pretty distant with just about everyone she knew. Stefan telling her about his part of the accident that killed her father and Elena's parents really threw her for a loop. What didn't help was how Blair couldn't figure out why it affected her so much. This wasn't the first life to lose a parent and it didn't leave as much of an impact, but in this life she couldn't get over it. This effect on her wasn't the only thing that was different about this life – there were other things, too. Did that make Blair's life – her current Incarnation – different somehow? If so…why?

Blair was pulled from her thoughts when the bell rang, indicating the change of classes. If she was asked what they covered in History that day she'd have no idea but it's not like she didn't already have the knowledge so it wasn't that big of a deal. Mr. Saltzman seemed to think it was since he asked her to stay after class.

Blair put her things away and waited in her seat until the other students left before going up to his desk. "What's up, Teach?"

"Is everything alright, Blair? You don't seem like yourself today." Alaric was genuinely concerned for her.

"Didn't we already have this discussion? If it's not class related then it's none of your business." It's not like Blair could tell him about what was going on even if she wanted to. "Can I go now? Or is there more to your line of questioning?"

Alaric answered this by handing her a sheet of paper with notes on it and the homework assignment for that evening. "Since you weren't paying attention. You're a smart kid, Blair. Don't want you falling behind."

Blair took the notes and put them into her bag. "Honestly, I couldn't care either way. Later, Teach."

Alaric let out a breath of frustration because while he was getting somewhere in learning the Gilbert history thanks to the Journal Jeremy let him borrow, he was getting nowhere in learning anything about the Aldens.

As Blair went into her locker she once again she could compel her way out of going to school, but she couldn't. Well…she _could_ but it was too much of a hassle and she didn't like doing it. Blair was fully capable of compulsion despite being a Vampire. Why? Because it was an ability that traveled with the soul of a being, and since Blair had been a Vampire more than once in the past her soul had been a Vampire more than once and thus the ability stuck with her. The first time Blair discovered that was pretty damn interesting, but it was also pretty damn uncomfortable. Compelling people for Blair took a bit out of her and sometimes she'd even get headaches which led to nosebleeds depending on how in-depth the compulsion was. So, yeah, while Blair could compel her way out of school – she wasn't going to. It wasn't worth the hassle or the risk.

* * *

Caroline found Blair at lunch sitting alone at a table outside and went right over to her. "You're being loner-girl again. What happened?"

"I don't want to talk about it." Blair absentmindedly took another chip out of the small bag and popped it into her mouth.

Caroline opened up her bottle of juice as she said, "Is it because you have feelings for Stefan but he's with Elena and you're dating Tyler?" She took a sip and eyed Blair for her reaction.

Blair just about choked on her chip when she heard what Caroline had to say. When the coughing fit passed, she drank some of her cola and asked, "What the hell makes you think that's what's going on?" Yeah, there was more to it than that but damn Caroline was close.

Caroline didn't waste any time with her answer. "You look at Stefan when he's not looking at you and when Elena starts to look at you, you look away. And no one can understand why you're with Tyler. He's not very astute in the connecting emotionally department."

"I think you're watching too many daytime soap operas, Caroline. Because there's nothing like that going on. I don't feel anything like that for Stefan and even if I did I couldn't do anything about it because, like you said, he's with Elena and I'm with Tyler. And I don't cheat on who I'm with or scheme to get in between someone else's relationship." Blair finally let herself breathe since it didn't really feel like she did during that whole thing.

Caroline was a bit silent after Blair's little outburst but that didn't last too long. "If I tell you that I think you're protesting too much, are you going to punch me?"

Blair rolled her eyes with a scoffed groan, gathered up her things and left the table.

"Okay, well, good talk!" Caroline shrugged, thinking she'd hit the nail right on the head with her assumptions, but didn't say anything to Elena about them when she joined her for lunch.

* * *

Since it was the night of the 50's Decade Dance, Blair was in her apartment getting ready for it. She was just putting on the pink satin jacket to go with her 'Pink Ladies' theme when he cellphone rang. Seeing that it was Elena, she ignored it. A minute later it rang again and this time it was Stefan. Again, she ignored it. The third time it rang, Damon's name appeared on her screen. Now she answered it. "What do you want?"

"You need to come to the Gilbert's house," Damon answered from his end of the line.

"Jeremy is already at the school getting ready for punch duty so what possible reason could there be for me going over?" She already figured she'd be seeing Elena and Stefan at the school so the less she saw of them the better.

Stefan got on the line to answer Blair's question. "Because a Vampire just attacked Elena and said 'This is for Mina' before trying to kill her."

Okay, Blair had to admit that caught her attention. "I'm leaving now." She ended the call, grabbed her purse and headed out.

When Blair got to the Gilbert's house she didn't even have to knock before Damon answered the door. "Nice costume."

Blair ignored him and went into the living room where she found Stefan and Elena sitting on the sofa together. "For the record, I have no idea why some Vampire would attack Elena in Mina's name. The only Vampire Mina was ever in contact with was Katherine." She pointed between Stefan and Elena to make herself all the more clear. "So, no matter what this Vampire has to say, what happened is not my fault."

"We didn't call you over to blame you for anything," Stefan calmly replied. "We were hoping you could help us take down the Vampire. He's been invited in."

"So no one is safe. Wonderful." Blair plopped down onto the chair. "I'll help but I have one condition – We question him before we kill him. If he's throwing Mina's name around, I want to know why."

"That's the only reason?" Elena asked incredulously. "Not because he tried to kill me?"

Blair smiled at Elena, though it wasn't sincere. "Me wanting him dead is caused by him almost killing you. Me wanting to question him is for me." She stood up and smoothed out her black poodle skirt. "I'll meet you guys there." Blair didn't give them time to say anything else before walking out the door. She stood on the porch for a moment to take a deep breath in preparation for what was to come.

"I was just starting to think you were standing up me," Tyler greeted as Blair walked up to him outside the school gym where the dance was being held.

"Just running a little late. I had to go back to my apartment for something." Blair smiled at Tyler's ensemble. He was definitely a 'T-Bird' but more on a Kinicki level than a Danny Zuko one. "I like this look on you."

"Don't get used to it." Tyler grinned as he draped his arm across her shoulder and walked into the dance with her.

Blair instantly started looking around for anyone that might seem familiar to her in 1864 but so far there was no one in sight. "Wanna dance?"

Tyler was surprised by her question. "Since when do you like to dance? I seem to remember you being more of a looming on the sidelines kind of dance attendee."

"There's still a lot you don't know about me, Lockwood." Blair smirked as she took his hand and pulled him onto the dancefloor, walking backwards.

Tyler couldn't help but hear a bit of a sultriness to her tone. "Teach me, Han."

"Time enough for that later." Blair laughed when the song 'Rock around the Clock' started to play. "I love this song." She started to dance in a style that was definitely from the fifties.

Tyler took Blair's hands and started to dance along with her, following her lead but wasn't very good at it. "You're full of surprises."

"This is just the beginning." Blair allowed herself to be in the moment with Tyler and just enjoy it. This feeling wasn't going to last forever so she was going to savor it while it lasted.

After the song, Tyler told Blair he was going to get them some punch and Blair stayed on the dancefloor, remembering her time in the fifties as the new song played. She did a bit of a spin and found Damon standing in front of her now. "Moment's gone."

"Would you like to dance?" Damon held out his hand for her. When she didn't take it, he sighed, "No ulterior motive, I swear. It's more of a peace offering."

Blair scoffed and gestured to the punch table. "Tyler will be back any second."

"You mean your boyfriend? Actually, he won't. Can't have you distracted so I compelled him to think he was getting sick and to go home. You should be getting a message soon." Right after those words came out of his mouth, Blair's phone beeped.

Blair took it out of her purse and found a text that read 'Don't feel well. Going home. Sorry. Make it up to you.'. Seeing this made her blood boil towards Damon. "I really hate you."

"I know." Damon didn't seem too phased by that. "But you didn't always. So how about you focus on that and dance with me?" He leaned closer to say, "I bet it'd make Stefan jealous."

Blair narrowed her eyes at him before taking his offered hand. "For the record, I'm only doing this to not tip off who we're looking for."

"Whatever you say." Damon grinned when 'Rockin' Robin' started playing and started swing dancing with Blair with far more skill than Tyler had.

How good the pair were dancing together actually started to gain attention from those around them. The other dancers even stopped dancing and stood around in a circle to watch them go.

Blair didn't want to admit it, but she was having fun dancing with him, too. It didn't hurt when she saw Stefan and Elena in the crowd of onlookers. Nearing the end of the song, Damon spun her a few times before dipping her and bringing her back to a standing position right when the song ended.

Damon smirked when Blair allowed herself to laugh. "You enjoyed that. Admit it."

"I still hate you." Was all she was going to say to him about that. Blair left the dancefloor and went to get some punch. It seemed Jeremy had read her mind because he had one all ready for her. "Thanks."

"No problem." Jeremy gestured to the dancefloor. "I have no idea you could dance like that. How did you even learn to dance like that?"

Blair couldn't tell him that she lived in the 50's and thus learned the dances of that decade, but she could tell him something that was also the truth. "My dad. He loved the fifties – I don't know why, but he's the one who taught me how to dance." Blair wondered in that moment if her father's love for the decade had something to do with her love for it. When she shared her memories with him and Vivian, maybe something stuck?

She pulled herself from this thought and finished off her punch. After tossing the paper cup in the nearby trash bin, she said to Jeremy, "Don't spike the punch now."

"I'll try not to," Jeremy joked back and returned to his punch station duties.

Blair was about to head back to the dancefloor but stopped when she saw Elena go through an exit door without Damon or Stefan accompanying her. She was about to take a step forward but stopped when she saw a guy in black follow Elena. This had to be the Vampire. Blair took a deep breath to prepare then followed after them, taking the wooden stake out of her purse as she did.

Blair hurried down the hall but didn't spot either of them. What she did hear was Elena screaming from the cafeteria so Blair ran right in there. After bursting through the doors she saw Elena stab the Vampire with some pencils left over from the standardize testing that day. That impressed Blair but didn't let it distract her. She charged for the Vampire and drove the stake into his shoulder, not wanting to kill him yet. When the Vampire whipped around, Blair saw his face. Her eyes widened because she did know this man as Mina. But if he was a Vampire then, she had no idea. "Noah?" Now this did distract Blair and ended up getting her thrown across the cafeteria.

Blair slid across the floor and into the wall. After shaking it off she grabbed the stake, got to her feet and staked him again while he was focused on Elena. This time she drove it deep into his side.

Noah reacted by turning around and grabbing Blair by the throat, lifting her up off the ground. "Die, bitch," he seethed at her, fully Vamped out.

"Wouldn't be the first time," she gasped and suddenly she was dropped to the floor because Stefan and Damon appeared to help deal with him. Blair coughed a few times while trying to get her breath back, and finally returned to her feet.

The Brothers had Noah staked through the abdomen and too weak to move, so they began to question him. When Stefan asked, "What do you want with Elena?"

Noah answered, "She looks like Katherine. Since I couldn't punish Katherine, I'm going after her."

Neither Damon or Stefan recognized him. "How did you know Mina and Katherine?" Stefan demanded to know.

"He worked in the stables," Blair answered as she joined them. She looked at Noah and swallowed a lump in her throat. "Why do you want to punish Katherine for what happened to Mina?"

"Not just Katherine," Noah looked right at Stefan. "Him, too. They're the reason why she died!"

Blair moved in front of Stefan so Noah would look at her again. "Why, Noah?"

Noah looked like he was about to cry. "Because I loved her. I loved her and she didn't even know I existed." Something clicked for Noah then. "How did you know who I was and where I worked?"

There was no point in lying to him. "Because I was Mina."

Noah had heard stories of a Cursed One, but never knew it was Mina. He shook his head weakly. "And you're back with them? History sure does repeat. Do me a favor – don't let them kill you this time."

Damon had enough of this and interjected with what he wanted to know. "Tell me how to get into the Tomb."

"No," Noah answered, and ended up getting gouged closer to his heart with the stake because of it. "The Grimoire," he gasped.

"Where is it?" Damon asked and when he got nothing in reply, Stefan gouged further with the stake – Something Blair couldn't stand by and watch.

The pain was making Noah talk again. "The Journal. Check the Journal. Jonathan Gilbert's Journal."

Now that they had that information, Stefan had questions of his own. "Who else is working with you?"

Noah wasn't going to give that up. "No. You're going to have to kill me." He was serious about that. When Stefan pulled the stake from his abdomen, he looked at Blair, saying again, "Don't let them kill you this time," right before Stefan drove the stake into his heart.

Elena couldn't believe they just did that. "Why did you do that? How are you going to find the others now?"

"He had to die," Blair answered, looking at Noah's desiccated body with regret on her face. "He was invited in. He wouldn't have stopped." She crossed her arms and walked away. Blair had enough and wasn't going to deal with the aftermath.

* * *

Blair was sitting in her apartment later that night when there was a knock at her door. She did not want to deal with anything else that evening but it seemed whoever was on the other side was pretty insistent. When she opened the door, Stefan was the one standing there. "I'm not going to invite you in so you might as well leave."

"Just let me get out what I have to say first, please." Stefan had to tell her this. When Blair crossed her arms and gave him a 'go on' expression, he got right to it. "I told Damon that I was going to help him open the Tomb to get Katherine out, but I lied. I can't let him to do it."

"Why not? Open up the Tomb and throw him inside and seal it back up. Damon gets to be with Katherine for all eternity and we're rid of him. Sounds like a win-win to me." Blair was completely serious with her idea. "Is that all?"

"Do you feel anything for Damon besides hatred?" Stefan needed to be certain about this.

Blair scoffed an incredulous chuckle. "Damon has killed me, killed Lexi, and the list goes on. Just because I danced with him doesn't mean all is forgiven. So, no, to answer your question I do not feel anything but hate for him. And the next time you want to talk call my cell. I'm never going to invite you in." She had nothing left to say so she closed the door in his face.

Stefan let his head hang down for a moment before placing his hand on the door, saying, "Goodnight, Blair."

Blair had her ear pressed against the door and heard what he said. It wasn't until she heard his footsteps fade that she whispered, "Goodnight, Stefan."

* * *

End Season 1 Episode 12

* * *

 **A/N: Sorry for the quality of his 'Episode'. I had major writer's block with it but wanted to push through and get moving with the story. Hope that made sense. Anywho, thanks for sticking with my story and hope y'all enjoy the 'Episodes' to come.**


	13. Again

_Mystic Falls – 1864_

Charlotte Alden and Nathaniel Lockwood walked through the forest that evening on their rounds to look for suspicious activity. The rest of the Council tried to keep Charlotte from partaking in assignments such as this, but she refused to obey such a command. Charlotte Alden would never submit to many man – which was a main reason as to why she broke off her engagement to Nathaniel. A subject he chose to discuss during their nightly round.

"I do not believe you understand what greatness could come of this union. With your family's lineage combined with my own, our Pack would reign over the south. Vampires would be no match for us." Nathaniel deliberately left out any part about them being in love with each other, because they weren't. This would be an arranged marriage and nothing else.

"As long as I obey your every word?" Charlotte laughed at that. "And who would be the leader of this great Pack, hmm?"

Nathaniel answered in a way he believed was obvious. "Why the Lockwoods, of course."

Charlotte stopped walking then. "And that is _precisely_ why I refuse to marry you or any other Lockwood man. We will not submit to anyone, even the Lockwoods. We do not need your strength to protect us, Nathaniel. We have our own."

Nathaniel was about to retort with something but stopped when the wind shifted and a scent reached him. "Do you smell that?"

Charlotte sniffed the air and nodded. "Blood. And it's fresh." She pulled out the stake that was hidden within the folds of her dress as Nathaniel removed his own from the lining of his coat. Now that they were armed, they followed the direction of the scent.

It wasn't long until they came upon two men who had recently been attacked but had no life left within them. Charlotte crouched down and raised her lantern to inspect the necks of the men. "Vampire. There is no doubt about this."

"So the Pryce girl was correct. How could she have known?" Nathaniel was suspicious of the girl because of her declaration but lack of details.

"I stand by my thought that she crossed paths with the Vampire in the past." Charlotte rose to her feet. "No matter. Once the Vervain elixir is completed we will be able to find the rest of the Vampires without drawing any attention to ourselves."

"If only we could simply eradicate them all on the next full moon." That was what he wanted to do but knew it wouldn't be possible.

"Our existence isn't known in these parts, Nathaniel. I would quite rather keep it as so. The longer the Council and all other in this town do not believe in the existence of Werewolves the better chance at surviving we'll have." Charlotte looked down at the bodies with a sigh. "We will come back for them in the morning. We cannot afford the Vampires realizing we know of their existence. Not yet."

Nathaniel's posture straightened as she began ordering about. "Shouldn't I be the one to make the decisions over such matters?"

Charlotte turned to face him and patted his chest, saying, "Why you believe that you alone should is the entire problem." She was starting to feel quite repetitive.

* * *

 _Mystic Falls – Present Day_

Harper set down the Alden journal she was reading, leaving off at the part where Charlotte and Nathaniel discovered the bodies. She was in the Lockwood's study since Tyler was out and Carol was busy for the day. Richard Lockwood, however, was sitting at his desk in the study. He was going over some paperwork and Harper took that moment to ask him something. "Why didn't or families pick other people back then for the arrangement? Did they really not know how much Charlotte and Nathaniel couldn't stand each other?"

"I doubt they cared – Pack politics and such." Richard didn't look up from his paperwork as he spoke.

"What do either of us know about Pack politics?" Since neither of their Curses had been triggered it wasn't as if they knew what it was like to be part of a Pack. "Are we making a mistake – pushing Blair and Tyler together, I mean. I know what I said before but the more I read this journal the less I'm starting to think the old pact should be kept."

Now Richard did look away from his work. "I thought we were on the same page about this. Do we not want our families to return to a status of power?"

"I do, but you said it yourself – Blair and Tyler are going to be given a choice as to whether or not to trigger their Curses. What if they don't want to? Then all of this is for nothing." Harper was starting to lose sight of the point of it all.

"I have no doubt that Blair will agree. She is longing to be a part of something, I can tell. And if Tyler refuses, well, there is always my brother. Blair will be eighteen then and it will not be an issue." Robert deemed that to be the end of the discussion and returned to what he was doing.

Harper couldn't find the words in that moment and for a second she wished Vivian was there because her elder sister would have thought of something to say to put Richard in his place. Alas, Vivian wasn't there and Harper didn't know where she was either – something that didn't sit well with her in the least.

After a few more moments of silence between them, she asked, "Was Nathaniel one of the Lockwoods to go to Louisiana with the Alden Pack?"

Richard signed one more form before answering her. "No. It was Tabitha and her son that joined the Aldens when the left Mystic Falls. If I remember correctly, Charlotte was the one who led the Pack there after what was supposed to be a union of the Packs turned into a conflict between them."

Harper put the journal in her purse and stood to take her leave because she didn't want to be around when Tyler or Carol finally showed back up. "Charlotte was a badass. I'm starting to see where Blair gets it from."

"We're not making a mistake," Richard assured her because of a very particular stone that was in his floor safe. He wanted the union of the Lockwoods and the Aldens just as much as Vivian did, even if he didn't show it. "With Blair and Tyler – We're not making a mistake. You have my word."

Harper looked at him a bit suspiciously. "What aren't you telling me, Richard?"

"Nothing," he lied. "Have a good day, Harper."

"You, too, Richard." Harper still thought there was something going on but she'd find a way to figure out what it was eventually.

* * *

Blair went into the school that weekend because she needed her book for her math assignment due on Monday. "Can't believe they changed freaking math," she muttered as she headed for her locker. "Math is math! Why change it if it works. But _noooo_ they have to go all wonky with it." She stopped at her locker and did the combination in frustration. "I was a freaking mathematician in a past life and now I have to learn it all over again? Ridiculous!"

Blair was about to slam her locker shut but stopped when she heard crashing coming from down the hall. Her eyes narrowed as she debated whether or not to go check it out. Deciding that she should, she quietly closed the door to her locker and went to investigate.

It sounded like voices were coming from the History classroom and sure enough there was Stefan leaning against a desk with Alaric sitting sideways in one of them, while the other desks in the room were either thrown about or knocked over. Clearly she had just walked in on something. "Hey guys," she used both her hands to point between them and gesture around the room. "What's up?"

Alaric, knowing that Stefan was a Vampire and not knowing that Blair knew everything, didn't want her anywhere near this conversation. "Just going over an assignment. You can go, Blair." When she started to open her mouth again, he said with more insistence, "Blair, go. Please."

Blair caught the subtle nod Stefan gave her, so she took the hint. "Alright, Teach. I'll see you on Monday." She shot Stefan a quick questioning look before leaving the classroom. Okay, she knew being out the loop of what was going on was a situation of her own making, but damn she didn't like it one bit.

Once Blair was out of earshot, Alaric looked at Stefan. "She knows nothing. Don't hurt her."

Stefan wasn't going point out that Blair knew everything, and said, "Trust me, hurting her is the last thing I'd ever intentionally do. Now, about that Journal…"

* * *

Blair was back at her apartment when she got a call from Stefan. She didn't even bother saying hello when she answered and got right to what she wanted to know. "What was going on between you and Mr Saltzman?"

"He had the Gilbert journal – something we needed in order to find Emily's Grimoire before Damon does so we can keep him from trying to open up the Tomb. He also knows Damon and I are Vampires – I'll get into that later." After answering her question, Stefan asked her one of his own. "You wouldn't happen to know where it is?"

"The Grimoire? No, I have no idea where it is. I've done my best to stay away from the Bennett Witches over the years, thank you very much." Blair put her phone between her ear and shoulder as she put a few groceries away. "And before you ask, I've read my ancestor's journal and there's no mention of a Grimoire in there either."

Blair's brow furrowed when there was silence on the other end of the line. "Did I lose you?"

"No, I'm here. If we find the Journal, do you want to know?" Stefan wasn't sure where he and Blair stood on anything anymore. He was still feeling so conflicted and jumbled up inside and had no idea if Blair felt the same.

Blair took the phone from the shoulder, moved it to the other ear, and leaned back against the small kitchen island. "No. Keep me out of it, Stefan. I don't want to get in the middle of this."

"I thought you were all for sticking it to Damon?" Stefan was a bit surprised to find things were apparently different.

"I am all for sticking it to Damon," Blair defended. "But I also know what it's like to be in love with someone and not be with them and it hurts like hell. So forgive me for not wanting to inflict that kind of pain on someone else, even if they happen to be someone I hate." She didn't realize the words that came out of her mouth until she said them, so she ended the call without another word and set it aside. "This life is so messed up."

Blair was on her way to the living room area to work on the new style math homework, but turned on her heels to change direction when there was a knock at the door. Since Harper hadn't made an appearance recently, that's who she thought it was but it turned out to be Mr Saltzman instead. "Hey, Teach. What's up?"

"This is going to come off as completely inappropriate, but I swear there is a valid non-inappropriate reason behind it." Alaric already felt like he was shoving his foot in his mouth but he was still trying to figure out how to give her the Vervain bracelet to keep her safe from being compelled without coming out and telling her that Vampires existed.

Blair started chuckling a bit because this was so bizarre but cleared her throat and crossed her arms to compose herself. "I make no promises to hold whatever it is you're about do or say against you."

"I'll have to take that." He might as well just rip off the Band-Aid and hope for the best. "On the backs of your tests you've been doodling the Triskele symbol and I just happened to find this at a pawn shop so I thought if you had it then you might stop doodling on your tests." Alaric held out a leather bracelet with a Triskele symbol locket intertwined with the small ropes that decorated the leather band and held it in place. The locket was sealed, but inside it was Vervain.

Okay, Blair was _not_ expecting that in the least. "Huh…and here I was fully prepared to knock your lights out for something inappropriate." Upon closer inspection she could see that it was a locket-type-thing on it and then it made sense. Blair figured it was filled with Vervain, not that it'd make any difference for her since she couldn't be compelled. "This is very cool, Teach. Thanks."

Alaric found this going better than he thought it would. "You're welcome." He was about to step away but turned back because he had one more thing to say. "Don't invite anyone in, okay? It's safer for you that way."

Blair was absolutely sure now that he was trying to protect her from the Vampiric elements in town and _almost_ told him that she already knew about it, but decided not to. Instead she wanted to mess with him a little bit. "You're teetering on weird and inappropriate now, Teach."

Alaric nodded and back away. "Right. See you in class, Blair."

Blair closed the door and put on the bracelet, tying it into place. Between her ring and her bracelet, she now had two jewelry items she wasn't expected to take off. "At least they're cool," she said to herself and went back to working on her dreaded math assignment.

Blair plopped onto the sofa, flipped open the math book, and was about to start but jumped fifty feet when she saw her past life Mina Pryce standing on the other side of the coffee table in front of her.

"You're lying," Mina greeted, clearly unamused.

"And you're nothing but my Cursed subconscious," Blair answered in reply. She really thought the visions of her past lives had stopped since they hadn't happened in this life. Well, until now.

Mina exhaled deeply, looking quite impatient. "That does not change the fact that you are lying. You know where the Grimoire is."

"No," Blair countered. "I only know that Giuseppe said he would take that secret to his grave."

"You do realize you are arguing with your own memories, do you not?" Mina stared her down. "Stop lying to yourself. It will not help anything."

Blair put her work aside and looked right at Mina. "It's hard."

"Do you think I do not know this? I am still in there." Mina pointed to Blair's head and then her heart. "I am a part of you. You cannot fight me or my memories. Just as you cannot fight any of the others. We are part of who you are. Tell Stefan the truth. Help him."

Blair closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. " **Go. Away. Mina."** When she opened her eyes, Mina was gone which was a relief, but she couldn't stop thinking about it. "Dammit," she said to herself, not because she was going to tell Stefan the truth but because she intended on getting to the Grimoire for him.

* * *

That night with a shovel in hand, Blair walked through the forest to where Stefan and Damon's father was buried. Since he died before the crypt was created, he was six feet under. "Dammit, Giuseppe, why did you have to bury it with yourself?" Blair grunted as she started to dig. After a few shovelfuls, she laughed because at one point in her life – well, at one point in one of her past lives, this was exactly what she did for a living – grave robbing.

Blair's laughter was cut short when a light shone on her with Stefan's voice saying, "Blair?"

Blair stopped shoveling and turned to face him. "Okay, you caught me. I lied. But in my defense, I only knew that he said he'd take the secret of the Grimoire to his grave. At the time I didn't think he was being literal."

Since Stefan just stood there, looking at her like he was processing something, Blair asked, "Elena's not with you?"

"She's at home. Jenna needed her help with something." Stefan took his own shovel and joined her at the grave. "Why did you tell me you didn't want to get in the middle if you wanted the Grimoire, too?"

"I don't want the Grimoire," Blair countered as she returned to shoveling. "Mina made me come here."

Stefan stopped his own shoveling efforts when she said that. "What?"

Blair, too, stopped. "Sometimes I see and talk to my past lives. It can be very annoying, especially when they're right." She pointed the wooden shovel handle towards him, saying, "Don't look at me like I'm crazy. I'm not crazy. I'm just Cursed."

"I wasn't thinking you were crazy. I was thinking that must be difficult to deal with." Stefan wanted to talk about what she said about being in love with someone but not being able to be with them, but he didn't. Instead he resumed digging and proceeded to in silence.

Blair thought the silence was a little unnerving, but she didn't try to break it either. Perhaps it was better that way because at then there wouldn't be a chance of saying something she'd regret…again.

* * *

When they finally reached Giuseppe's coffin, Blair said to Stefan. "I'll get the book. You don't need to see him like that."

Stefan shook his head. "I need to do it." He helped Blair out of the hole before opening up the coffin to remove the Grimoire from his father's skeleton's hands. Stefan got out of the hole and pulled on the string to remove the protective coating around the book.

"Mina never actually saw the book. Just for the record." Blair shined the flashlight on the Grimoire so Stefan could see it.

"I'm getting the feeling there was far more to Mina's life than I knew." Stefan looked at Blair, wanting to talk to her about what he was feeling so badly but he couldn't for a number of reasons.

Blair looked at him, too, and nodded. "Yeah, well, after Katherine came along it wasn't like you could see her anyway."

Their moment was interrupted when Damon's voice said upon approach, "Well, this is an interesting turn of events."

"I can't let you bring her back," Stefan answered. "I'm sorry."

"So am I," Damon answered, feeling hurt, "for thinking for even a second that I can trust you."

"You are not capable of trust," Stefan shot back. "The fact that you're here means you read the journal and you were planning on doing this yourself."

"Of course I was going to do this by myself." Damon felt like he'd just stated the obvious. "Because the only one I can count on is me! You made sure of that many years ago, Stefan." He looked to Blair behind him, "But you…why are you even here?"

"Long story," Blair answered, not wanting to get into it, "wait for the movie."

Damon shook his head slightly and turned his attention back to Stefan. "What are we going to do now? Because if you try and destroy that, I'll rip her heart out."

"You won't kill her." Stefan truly believed Damon wouldn't hurt Blair.

"Why not?" Damon asked, looking over to her then back to his brother. "She'll come back eventually." In the blink of an eye he was behind Blair with his arm wrapped around her neck. "We both know she'll be back and when she does come I will kill her again and again and again." Damon breathed in the scent of Blair's hair, ignoring how she was trying to pull his arm off her. "Are you ready to watch her die again?"

No, he wasn't. Stefan couldn't handle her watching her die. Not again, not ever. "She doesn't deserve this, Damon. She hasn't had a chance to live her life. Don't kill her, please."

"Then give me the book, Stefan!" Damon tightened his grip around her throat to show how serious he was.

"Don't," Blair gasped. If she was to die then she'd die. Damon was right, she would come back but when she did, she wouldn't give him the satisfaction of killing her.

Stefan looked at Blair and shook his head, telling her that he couldn't do what she was asking of him. "I am not giving this to you until she is standing next to me."

"Problem is," Damon countered, "I no longer trust that you'll give it back!"

"You're holding Blair's life in your hands – That ensures that I will." Stefan's eyes were tearing up at the thought of her dying because of him…again.

Damon cocked his head for Stefan to toss the Grimoire, and when he did, Damon whispered into Blair's ear, "I'm sorry, Kris," before pushing her over to Stefan and disappearing with the Grimoire.

Stefan rushed to Blair and held her to make sure she didn't trip. "Are you okay?"

"Why did you do that?" Blair coughed as she rubbed her neck. "I would have come back!"

"I couldn't let him kill you." That was the best explanation Stefan could give her, despite it not being the entire explanation. "You already died because of me once, Blair. I couldn't let it happen again."

Blair shoved Stefan back before pointing at him firmly. " **No**. That's where you're wrong, Stefan. _I_ didn't die, _Mina_ did. And Mina didn't die because of you, she died because of her love for you. There's a difference." She waved her hand out in a general direction. "And now Damon is going to get Katherine back and she is going to kill me for not just the events of one life, but two. I would have much rather died knowing that Katherine would never be released than living the rest of this life looking over my shoulder."

When Blair started to storm off, Stefan caught up with her. "Blair…"

She whipped around and faced him. "No, Stefan. I don't want to hear it. You thought you were being the hero. You thought you were making a strong decision, but guess what – I don't need your strength to protect me, Stefan. I have my own."

This time when Blair stormed off, he didn't try to stop her. This definitely wasn't the first time, either.

* * *

When Blair got back to her apartment, she thought things were finally going to be calm but that so didn't happen. Just as she was about to climb into bed, her cellphone rang. Seeing that it was a call from Stefan almost made her not answer it, but she did. "This better be damn important."

Her eyes widened when she heard what Stefan was frantically saying on the other end of the line. "Stefan, stop. Go back. What do you mean Elena's been taken?"

* * *

End Season 1 Episode 13


	14. Life

Blair spent the entire night looking for Elena with Stefan. She was still going over the fact that the Vampire Anna took her. Blair didn't know anything about Anna except for the fact that she was Pearl's daughter and was a part of Katherine's 'clique' in 1864. At one point Blair punched an exterior over and over again because Vivian never told her that the Witch who cast the protection spell over Elena had died and didn't try to find another willing to do it. All roads kept leading back to Katherine, which was what the spell was supposed to protect her from.

Blair rested her forehead against the alley's wall and took deep breaths to try and calm down. But she couldn't calm down. She was so worried that _they_ would eventually show up. Blair had no idea if she could protect Elena from _them_ , but they weren't there now so she put all her focus on the matter at hand. When Blair finally began concentrating, she thought of something. Damon showed up at his father's grave which meant that he had access to the Gilbert Journal – as in the actual one and not the copy. This led Blair to believe that he knew whoever had it and since Anna took Elena she supposed that Damon knew where Anna was. "Only one way to find out," Blair said aloud before storming off to the Boarding House.

The sun was already up when Blair got to the Boarding House and went right inside. She found Damon in the living room reading the Grimoire. Blair didn't waste any time with what she wanted to know. "Where's Anna?"

"Good morning to you, too," Damon replied without looking up, but he did catch a familiar scent. "You're bleeding."

Blair looked down to her hands and saw her knuckles were indeed all cut up and bleeding but she hadn't even noticed. Even now she ignored it and stayed on track. "Tell me where she is, Damon. You owe me that much."

"I don't owe you anything," Damon countered. "In case you haven't realized, I didn't kill you."

Blair stood in front of Damon and shot her hand out to prevent him from reading any more of the book. "Then you owe Kris. Because in case you haven't realized, you did kill her."

Damon closed up the Grimoire, causing Blair to remove her hand, and stood up. "I would think you'd be happy if Elena died. Stefan would be free and you wouldn't have the walking reminder of what you lost lingering in your life."

"Elena and I may not be the greatest of friends but I do not want her dead." Blair wasn't backing down from this. "Where is Anna?"

Damon lowered himself to whisper into her ear, "I don't owe Kris anything. I repaid that debt when I didn't kill you. A life for a life."

Blair shoved him for that. "I hate you."

"There's a fine line between love and hate," Damon countered as he left the room. "Or did your life as Kris teach you nothing?"

Blair's blood was starting to boil all over again and this caused her to punch the fireplace mantel and this time she did feel it. "Dammit!" Blair held onto her hand with a hiss of pain because she was sure she broke something this time.

Stefan had just gotten back from his search for Elena and heard Blair call out. He went right over to her and saw the damage done to her hand. It took him a moment to get over the sight of the blood but he managed to stay in control. "Finally gave Damon what he deserved?"

"I wish," Blair admitted. "He's not going to tell us where Anna is."

Stefan bit into his wrist and offered it to Blair to heal her. She was hesitant but did end up drinking some and thus her hand healed up. "Better?"

Blair used her sleeve to wipe off any residual blood from her mouth. "Hand-wise, yes. Thanks."

"You're welcome." He wanted to say one thing but ended up saying another, "I'll try talking to Damon, but even if he doesn't help, I will find her."

Blair didn't doubt that for a second. "I know. You'd do anything for her."

On some level that may be true, but that wasn't what he was getting at. "I'd do anything for you."

Blair couldn't help but laugh at that. "Based on past experiences, that hasn't been the case. In fact, I think if you look back at our history it's been me who'd do anything for you. And what has that gotten me besides a short life and a broken heart?" She didn't give Stefan a chance to respond and pushed herself past him.

As soon as Blair slammed the door behind her and started making her way down the driveway, her phone rang. Seeing it was Elena, she answered it. "Elena are you alright?"

"She will be as long as you do as I say," Anna answered from her end of the line. "I hear you're the Cursed One which means I need you, too. The Witch Bitch is gonna need your blood to open the Tomb."

"My blood had nothing to do with closing it," Blair seethed. That was something she made damn sure of when Emily tried to use her for a spell back then. Granted at the time she didn't know what the spell was, but now she did and was glad she stuck to her guns about it.

"True, but your blood was used to destroy the amulet which likely created an extra protection barrier around the Tomb," Anna countered. "If you ever want to see Elena or the Witch alive again then I suggest you meet me at the old church tonight at sundown."

When Anna ended the call Blair squeezed her phone so hard she thought she was going to break it. Instead she took a deep breath, texted Tyler that she'd get back to him about Duke's party so he wouldn't be on her case about it and headed back for town to do something she never wanted to do – Make a deal with a Witch.

* * *

Blair knocked on Sheila Bennett's door and stepped back to give them both some space from each other. It wasn't long before Sheila opened it with bit of a 'now what are you doing here' expression on her face.

"Well, well, well," Sheila greeted. "I never expected to find you on my doorstep. You must really want something bad, Cursed One."

"Bonnie told you, great." Blair popped her lips. "Well now that's out of the way so let's cut to the chase. I need you to cast a spell."

Sheila chortled at that. "You want me to cast you a spell? You do realize I am a Bennett Witch, don't you? And haven't your sworn off all Bennett Witches?"

"When they framed me for being a Witch in Salem so they could run free while I was being burned at the stake, yeah, I did," Blair shot back then took a deep breath. "We don't have time for this crap. Vampires took Bonnie and Elena so I need you to cast a Locator Spell to find them."

Sheila hadn't expected that to be the spell Blair wanted to cast. It gave her a little faith that it was, though. She stepped aside to allow Blair to enter. "I already have. Stefan came by and told me what happened. He left to get them five minutes ago."

Blair walked into the house and couldn't blame Stefan for not telling her that he planned to ask Sheila for help. "Thank you."

Sheila led her into the dining room for some tea she just brewed. "I know this does not make up for anything, but I apologize on behalf of my ancestors. Spirits talk and they regret what they did to you."

"Yeah, well, I'm still pretty damn bitter about it." Blair sat down and accepted the cup of tea Sheila handed her.

"And yet you put that aside to come here and tell me what happened to Bonnie. Not many could put aside their anger like that to help someone they care nothing for." Sheila eyed her a bit as she sipped her tea.

"Just because I have a grudge against you family, doesn't mean I want any of you dead." Blair set her cup on the table. "Neither of you have done anything to me and honestly I'd rather keep it that way."

"The Salem Witch Trials were desperate times, Blair. They knew you would return. It doesn't make it better but it gave them some sort of peace with their decision." Sheila set her own cup down. "It didn't stop them from regretting it as soon as it happened."

Blair didn't want to discuss this any further. It brought back a lot of pain she was trying very hard to forget. "I'm not here to reminisce."

Sheila didn't need to be told that. "I know, but I need you to know that the Bennetts are in your debt."

That was the last thing she wanted. "Oh, no. I don't want any more contact with your family than I have to. I don't want any Bennett to be in my debt. I just want to get this over with and go back to never crossing paths with you and stop talking to Bonnie."

Sheila couldn't help but smirk at her a little bit. "You do know how to hold a grudge, don't you?"

Oh, Blair most certainly could. "For as long as I can remember." She raised her cup at that before saying, "Must have something to do with my original life." For her own sake she muttered, "If only I knew who it was."

Sheila just barely caught that but didn't say anything about it because the front door opened and Stefan came in with Bonnie and Elena. She looked at her granddaughter with such relief. "You're alright."

Blair got up and since she saw it with her own two eyes that Elena and Bonnie were alright, she decided to leave. "You're both safe, good. This is where I say goodbye."

Stefan wasn't sure what she meant by that. "What do you mean 'goodbye'?"

Blair's answer to that was simple. "I'm leaving town." She wasn't going to go into details as to where she planned on going.

Elena scoffed at that. "Seriously? You're just going to up and leave when things get hard?"

Blair's face hardened a bit at that. "I'm leaving to keep you guys safe. Anna says that because of what Emily did with my blood to destroy the Amulet that my blood is needed to open the Tomb. I'm not interested in dying just so the bitch Katherine can have her life back, so I'm leaving."

Stefan tried to reason with her. "Blair, stay here or go back your apartment and don't invite anyone in. You'll be safe that way and we can deal with Anna."

"I'm not going to hide, Stefan. I've never been much of a hider but I've had plenty of experience being a runner." Blair wasn't going to get into the details about that either. She turned to Bonnie and Elena. "Look, I just wanted to make sure you both were safe before I left. Don't do anything stupid and you'll be fine. Maybe I'll see you in my next life if this one doesn't last as long as I hope."

Elena had another idea. "We need to let him have Katherine back. He's not going to stop until he gets her."

Blair shook her head at that. "Yeah, no. I'm not going to be a part of letting that bitch out of the Tomb. She wants me dead, Elena." Speaking to Stefan, she added in, "I know at one point I said to let him have her but my self-preservation has kicked in since then, so no. No way in hell."

Bonnie agreed with Blair on this one. "Blair's right. Damon doesn't deserve to get what he wants."

"What other choice do we have?" Elena wanted to know. "If he gets Katherine then maybe that ends it – all of it." She turned to Blair. "If you leave now then you're leaving us with all the problems. If you're already planning on running away then at least help us take care of this mess before you go."

Blair rubbed her forehead with a heavy sigh. "Fine. I'll use my blood for the spell but after that, I'm gone."

Sheila shook her head incredulously at this. "As much as we've tried to stay out of this…" She made a decision in that moment. "I'll open the Tomb. Stefan, you get your brother's girl, and destroy the rest with fire. Then this will be all over."

"We still have to get Damon to agree," Stefan pointed out. "The last time he agreed I double-crossed him. Now he's angry."

"He's hurt," Elena countered. "There's a difference."

Blair waved her hand towards Elena. "Then you talk to him. He doesn't trust Stefan, he sure as hell won't believe me, but you haven't done anything to piss him off so there you go. Problem solved."

Elena nodded in agreement. "You're right. I should be the one to talk to him and I know exactly what to say."

"Of course you do." Before Elena could have a chance to respond to that, Blair addressed Stefan and the others. "Keep in mind there's the Duke party in the woods near the church tonight. I'm gonna have to make an appearance there first. I'll meet you at the church." She gave them all a bit of a salute and left the Bennett house, hoping like hell that this was going to work in their favor but doubting just as much that it would.

* * *

It was nightfall by the time Blair headed out to the woods and the Duke party was already in full swing. She spotted Jeremy amongst the party goers and headed for him first to check in. "How's my best friend doing this evening?" One thing she regretted about her decision to leave town once this was over was that she'd be leaving Jeremy behind. She'd contact him once she reached her destination, though. There was no way she'd ever be able to write him out of her life.

"Better now that I'm not alone," Jeremy chuckled back. "Haven't been to a party in awhile."

"Same, but alas I won't be here for long. Just gotta find Tyler then I'm heading out." Blair figured Jeremy was going to ask questions so she answered it with a lie before he could. "I agreed to have dinner with Harper and talk things out."

Jeremy was surprised to hear that. "Really? Wow. Let me know how it goes."

"Will do." Blair jokingly pulled his knit cap over his eyes and went in the search for Tyler. She found him chugging beer with Duke near the bonfire. "Very classy," she teased once he was done.

"I have my moments," Tyler grinned and went in for a kiss but she pushed him away because beer was still dripping off his chin. He wiped off his chin. "Better?" At her nod he went in for another kiss and this time she didn't push him away.

As they pulled apart, Tyler saw Jeremy in the distance. "I'll be right back. Gonna see if Little Gilbert's got some weed."

Blair shot out her hand to grab his wrist to stop him. "Leave him alone, Tyler. You guys aren't on the best terms and you know it."

Tyler shrugged in a 'whatever' fashion. "Fine. You ask him."

"I'm not going to do that either." Blair scoffed and proceeded to tell him the same lie she told Jeremy. "I'm meeting up with Harper so I'm heading out."

Tyler felt pissed because of this. "What the hell, Han? It's like you're never around anymore."

"Forgive me for having a life outside of you, Lockwood," Blair shot back. "Look, I don't want to fight. I have to go and I'll call you later or something." She walked away without another word and headed for the church.

Tyler threw his empty beer cup into the bonfire with frustration. He's swear that for as many good times he had with her lately there were just as many frustrating ones.

Blair got to the church just in time because Damon, Elena, and everyone else were already there. "How much blood are you going to need for this?" she asked Sheila as they descended the old stone stairs to get to the Tomb before the church.

"Just enough on each of the torches," Sheila replied. "It won't be much."

Blair groaned a bit but pulled out the knife from her pocket anyway. She finished descending the stairs and went over to the unlit torches. Using her knife to point at Damon, she made something abundantly clear. "You may think you repaid what you did to Kris and that's fine, whatever, but this – this is something you owe _me_ for and one day I will collect." With her point made she sliced the palm of her hand and let the blood drip over each of the five torches before accepting the cloth from Stefan to wrap around the wound.

With that done, Sheila proceeded to ignite the torches and begin the spell. While Sheila and Bonnie stood in the center of the circle and chanted, the wrap around Blair hand was ripped off and the cut was made deeper. "Ah!" she exclaimed, especially when a matching wound appeared on her other hand.

Stefan left Elena's side and went over to her. "What's wrong?"

"It's happening again. What happened with Emily." By an unseen force, Blair was pulled the tomb's door and her hands shot out onto it. The blood from her hands filled in the inverted pentagram and once it was filled completely, her hold was released and the door opened.

Suffice to say, Blair was pissed. "What the hell Sheila?! You said it would be much blood."

"I was mistaken. I am sorry, Blair." Sheila meant that, too.

Damon went to the open door and said to his brother, "We're gonna need to build some fires." His attention was pulled to Blair whose hands were still dripping with blood. "We don't need you drawing any attention from hungry Vampires." Damon but into his wrist and held it out to her. At her stern expression, he rolled his eyes. "This won't count as me paying you back."

Blair accepted the terms and the blood, thankful that her hands healed up, but didn't say thank you. "I'm out of here. Bye, all." She didn't want to do any big heartfelt goodbyes or anything like that and was grateful that there wasn't enough time for them anyway.

* * *

After leaving the woods and avoiding Duke's party - unaware of all that occurred once she left, Blair went to her apartment and packed up the essentials she'd need. She gathered up her couple bags and swiped the bus ticket to New Orleans off the counter and headed for the door. With an affirmative nod to convince her this was the best thing, she opened the door and exclaimed, "Holy crap!" when she saw Damon standing there. Thinking the worst, she said, "I am never going to invite you or Katherine in so you're wasting your time."

Damon lifted his head and looked at her with heartbreak. "You don't have to leave town. She wasn't in the Tomb."

Blair had no idea what Damon was talking about. "What?"

"Katherine," he elaborated. "Katherine wasn't in the Tomb."

Blair dropped her bags as soon as she heard that. "Bullshit. This – this is some sort of trick. I don't believe you."

Damon wasn't surprised that she didn't. "Ask Stefan, he'll corroborate. Katherine's not there. She never was. She's been out all this time. She – she knew where I've been all this time and she didn't care."

Blair could see it in his eyes that he was telling this truth. "Damon, I…" she couldn't finish her sentence because she wasn't sure what to say.

Damon didn't want anything from her. "I just thought you should know you don't have to leave." He left after saying that because what he went there to do had been done.

Blair looked down at her bags and the ticket that had fallen. She bent down and picked it up, making a decision as to what she was going to do next.

* * *

Later that night, Blair walked into the Boarding House and found Damon sitting on a chair in front of the lit fireplace. Without a word she walked over to him, sat beside him in front of the chair and rested her head on his knee.

Damon closed his eyes with a lightly scoffed chuckle because this was something Kris used to do. He didn't say anything about it and kept his eyes locked on the flames, trying to figure out what he was going to do next.

Blair's eyes had been closed but when she opened them she saw Kris crouched down in front of her. She didn't say a word to her because Damon wouldn't be able to see or hear Kris and this wasn't something she wanted to explain to him – especially now.

Kris nodded in a knowing manner. "It's hard to shake him, isn't it?" She looked up at Damon before returning her eyes to Blair. "Just like it's hard to shake the other one. You're well versed in hating someone yet caring about them at the same time, Blair. This is nothing new for you. Don't fight it. Don't question it. Accept it and move on. Don't live this life in question. Just _live_ it."

In the blink of an eye Kris was gone but her presence was replaced with Stefan's who sat down in the chair next to Damon's in front of the fire. None of them said a word to one another but it didn't take away from the fact that _they were there_.

* * *

End Season 1 Episode 14


	15. Heartbreak

Damon walked into the Boarding House's living room and paused just as he entered because of the sight in front of him. The furniture had been moved back and in the center of the room was Twister, a beer pong table, and Blair wearing 70's style jeans and a vintage Beatles t-shirt. "This is a blast from the past." Damon meant that literally because Kris had a very similar set up in her apartment back in the 70's.

"I figured it would be better than you tracking down some Tri-Delts to exploit in your misery." Blair plucked one of the red cups from the table and held it out to him.

Damon took it skeptically. "Did you put Vervain in this?" He stuck his finger into the beer to test it and found she did not. "No Vervain. Which leads me to question why you're trying to be nice to me?"

"As much as I hate you I sympathize. I know what it's like to love someone and be betrayed by them." Blair turned back to the table and replaced the beer that she had given to him.

Damon figured he knew who she was talking about. "Ah, yes, all roads leads back to Stefan for you don't they?"

It was true that could apply to Stefan but not in this conversation. "I was actually talking about someone else."

Damon leaned against the table beside her in intrigue. "Ooo, do tell." At her 'really?' expression, he said, "Hey, distract me from my misery with your own." He set his cup down to clap his hands. "Chop chop before I go looking for a Tri-Delt or two."

Blair popped her lips as she prepared herself to tell. "I knew him a long time ago. Way, way back. He was the brother of my dearest friend and I loved him with every fiber of my being. I thought his feelings were the same, and maybe for awhile they were, but another woman came along and she captured his heart. So, yeah, that's the gist of one of my many heartbreaks."

Damon wasn't impressed. "I still think spending the past 145 years trying to get into a tomb to rescue the woman I love and find she was never there has you beat in the heartbreak and betrayal department."

Blair slowly turned her head to look at him with a challenging expression. "How about this for heartbreak and betrayal? – I spent a long time trying to get a friend's brother to turn his emotions back on and ended up falling in love with him in the process. At one point he told me that his switch got flipped back because of me and he loved me, too. We shared a night of heated passion on a rooftop only for morning to come where I find out he lied and locked me up there to burn in the sun as a message to his brother to stop trying to get him to flip his switch back."

Damon didn't have a rebuttal for that because he knew she was talking about what happened between him and Kris. "If it's any consolation I regret that decision." He took a long drink from his beer, wishing it was stronger and changed the subject. "I'm in the mood for some beer pong so let's call ourselves tied and get to it because I am no way drunk enough for Twister."

Blair tossed him a ping-pong ball. "Let's play."

After playing beer pong that eventually turned into a game of pennies, they were both drunk enough to start playing Twister. In fact they were tangled up in that game when Stefan walked in with a very confused expression on his face. "What are you two doing?"

"It's it obvious? I'm about to kick Blair's ass." Damon sounded so smug but when he tried to move his hand to the red circle he ended up falling first and thus Blair was the champion.

"Mwah ha ha! You cannot dethrone the queen!" Blair threw her hands up in cheers but ended up teetering a bit so she moved into more of a sitting position.

"Those were some Kris moves and don't you even deny it." Damon got himself to his feet and pulled Blair up to hers.

"Well Kris is me and I am Kris, so are you really surprised?" Blair narrowed his eyes at him and looked at the time. "Oh crap, I have to go." She scooped up her jacket and headed for the door.

Stefan quickly said to Damon, "Don't go anywhere I need to talk to you," then went after Blair. "What was that?"

"Taking a trip down memory lane." Blair put on her jacket and moved her hair out of the way. "Not all of Kris' life was a shit show."

Stefan still wasn't sure what to take from all this. "So you and Damon are friends now?"

Blair laughed, "Hardly," at that. "I just know where he's coming from and since he can be a very destructive person when he's emotional I thought some fun distractions would help him through his grief. I don't think he'll be going on a killing spree any time soon so I call that a win."

Stefan didn't like that Blair was spending one-on-one time with Damon. "Just be careful with him."

"I still hate him, Stefan. If he tries anything hinky I will not refrain from putting a stake through his heart and he knows it." Blair gestured towards the door, saying, "Now I really have to get going. I need some coffee stat before helping set up for the fundraiser. Don't get under his skin, Stefan, I mean it. I did not just drink way too much liquor and play ten rounds of Twister for nothing."

* * *

Harper was already at the Grille hanging up the banner for the fundraiser when Blair came in looking wrecked. "Oh wow," she laughed, she couldn't help it. "It's like looking at a blast from the past." Harper reached out and pushed up Blair's sunglasses to the top of her head. "Day drinking? Really? What happened?"

Blair groaned as she sat at the table across from Harper. "I was helping someone get over a heartbreak."

"And underage drinking was involved?" Harper shook her head with a sigh at this. "I know I should try and reprimand you or something but I've been there so I just hope the hangover will be enough of a lesson for you."

Blair just nodded and drank some of the coffee. "I think it'd do the trick. So, what are we doing here again?"

"Banner hanging and setting up for the silent auction." Harper left her seat and returned to her banner.

Blair tossed her shades on the table and left her coffee so she could go help and get this over with. While they were trying to get the banner even, Blair asked out of nowhere, "Have you heard from Vivian?"

Harper froze at the question then cleared her throat. "No, I haven't since she told me she was leaving. Why, have you?"

Blair shook her head. "No, and honestly I don't like it. I can't help feeling like she's going to show up just in time to turn my world upside down again."

Harper turned to her daughter. "I know Vivian handled things so poorly but she did love you, Blair. In her own way she did." Harper couldn't believe she was defending her sister but that's what happened.

Blair had no idea why she brought Vivian up so she changed the subject. "You going to bet on anyone tonight for the bachelor auction?"

"That'd be a no. I have a boyfriend back in Louisiana but with his job we only get to see each other once a month." Job, right. That was the best Harper could think of at the moment.

Blair finished tying off the banner and smiled at Harper, wanting to know more. "Oh, really now?"

"Yes, and that's the most you're going to get out of me about him." She tied off her side and added in, "Unless you ever want to take a trip with me down there then that'd be a different story."

"I was actually thinking about going down to New Orleans. In the old Alden Journal there was mention of almost all the Alden family moving there and I thought it'd be cool to track down some distant cousins. Especially since I didn't know they existed until the Journal." Blair shrugged a bit and started putting on the table cloth for the silent auction tables.

Harper joined her in this endeavor. "I would love to introduce you to everyone, Blair. You could bring Tyler along. After all, he's got family down there, too."

Blair wasn't expecting to hear that. "Really?"

Harper nodded. "Yeah. When the Aldens migrated a couple Lockwoods went with them so there's definitely a handful of Lockwoods." She smiled at her teasingly, "Or was the really in reference to me telling you Tyler could come?"

Blair didn't answer that and started smoothing out the table cloth.

Harper got a bad feeling from this. "Is everything okay with you and Tyler?"

"We waited too long. Maybe if we when we were younger then I'd feel differently but, as much as I care about him, I don't think I can be in a relationship with him. We – we don't connect. Not like…" Blair caught herself and stopped talking. It was her own fault for thinking that Tyler could replace the Lockwood sized hole in her heart left behind by another.

"Blair, I see the way you and Tyler are together. There is definitely something there and I think it's worth pursuing. Don't give up on something good just because it's not perfect." Harper smiled in a supportive manner, hoping that Blair wasn't going to break up with Tyler.

"You're biased," Blair retorted. "Just because our ancestors were supposed to be together doesn't mean that Tyler and I have to be. You say there are Lockwoods and Aldens down south? Then push them together and leave me out of it." She threw down the crumbled up tablecloth and walked away because suddenly everything just felt so overwhelming.

Harper rushed after Blair, seeing the error in her words. "Blair, wait, please." She stood in front of Blair to keep her from going anywhere. Harper wanted her daughter to be the queen of the Pack that would be created from the strong bloodline joining the two families would create, but not if it meant hurting her. "I'm sorry. You're right, we've all let an old pact that hurt the pride of both our families blind us to how you and Tyler might feel. If you don't want to be with him, I won't try to push you two together anymore."

Blair honestly felt relief when she heard that. "That means a lot to me, mom."

Harper had to catch her breath. "You just called me mom."

Blair nodded slightly. "It's the first time you felt like a mom to me."

Harper thought she was going to cry and she hugged her daughter, trying to hold back the tears. "Oh, Blair, you have no idea what that means to me."

Blair hugged her back, replying, "I think I've got an idea."

* * *

That night, Blair skipped out on the Founder's Day Fundraiser and went to Tyler's house. Maybe she was letting everything that'd been going on and all the past feelings that came rushing back push her hand on this decision, but she felt it had to be done. Blair wanted to end it before either of them got hurt worse than ending it now would make them feel.

Blair reached out and knocked on the Lockwood Mansion's door. It wasn't long before Tyler opened it. "Hey, can we talk?"

"Can we talk," Tyler repeated, "those three words never lead to anything good. Do you want to come in?"

"Go for a walk?" Blair countered and appreciated the fact that Tyler didn't argue with her about it. They headed around back before she said anything. "Tyler…"

He cut her off there. "Now I know this is serious. We never use first names unless it is." Tyler stopped at the garden bench and sat down with Blair sitting beside him. "You're breaking up with me aren't you?"

"Is it really that surprising?" Blair couldn't believe that she was the only one feeling this way.

Tyler shook his head. "Honestly, no. It was great at first, and I do care about you a lot, Blair, but I get it. I mean, how can I compare to your first Lockwood love?" He wasn't bitter about that, oaky maybe he was but he wasn't trying to hurt her.

Blair was caught off guard by that completely. "What are you talking about?"

Tyler went into his pocket and pulled out a picture from a few years ago. Blair was on Mason Lockwood's back for a piggy-back ride and they were both smiling like they were laughing. "I found this when I was looking for something in the attic. I accidentally knocked over one of Mason's boxes and this fell out."

Blair took the picture and sniffled as she fought back the tears. She looked at Tyler to make something clear. "I wasn't trying to replace him with you."

Tyler wrapped his arm around her shoulders and hugged her. "I know. What happened? I didn't even know you two were a thing."

"He was my first love. He was my first a lot of things. One day he…I don't know. One day he just disappeared on me." Blair looked down at the picture before laughing, "This is the weirdest breakup ever."

Tyler laughed at that as well. "I wouldn't say it's the weirdest, but it's definitely one for the record books."

Blair rested her head on Tyler's shoulder, asking, "We're still friends, right? I don't want you written out of my life."

Tyler was definitely more than willing to be Blair's friend because he did care about her. Yeah, things didn't work out between them and that was a bummer but he wasn't going anywhere. "Can't get rid of me that easily, Han."

"Thanks, Lockwood." She stood up and lifted the picture. "I'm gonna keep this." Blair didn't even know there was a copy of it and now that she did, she didn't want to let it go.

Tyler figured she would. "Hey, it's yours." When Blair smiled a 'thanks' smile and started heading off, Tyler stood to say, "If it means anything, I think he was an idiot for leaving like the did."

Blair appreciated that and smiled again. "Night, Lockwood."

Tyler smiled lightly in return. "Night, Han."

* * *

Blair was getting her keys out to unlock her apartment door when Alaric walked past her to get to his own. She couldn't help but notice he looked like hell. "Rough night, Teach?"

"You could say that." He tried to make it out like it was nothing because he couldn't tell her that Damon had killed him but he was brought back by the Ring his wife Isobel gave him. His wife who was also Elena's birth mother who was – according to Damon – turned into a Vampire. Yeah, Alaric wasn't about to tell her all that because he still didn't know that she knew about the goings-on of Mystic Falls. And according to Stefan, Blair didn't know anything about the connection between Elena and Isobel anyway.

"Makes two of us." Blair got her door unlocked and said, "Night, Teach," before going inside.

"Goodnight, Blair," Alaric replied and went into his own. Once inside his apartment he tossed down his keys and went to the mirror to investigate where his wound was. There was zero trace of it even being there and he was still wrapping his head around the fact that he was dead one second and alive the next.

Alaric put that thought aside and went over to the package he received earlier that day but didn't have a chance to open it. Well, now he did. Alaric tore open the top of the package and pulled out the old rolled-up parchment paper. Before unrolling it he looked at the note attached that read 'I found this among my family's things. Can you make anything of it? – V'.

Alaric unrolled the paper that looked like a children's nursery rhyme. He read it aloud, "The family of Light and family of Den will be joined, will be wed. Their blood will blend and be so strong, their voices shall howl all night long. Blood of Light, blood of Den will reign strong till the end." He rerolled the paper and returned it to the tube in came in, wondering what the hell he was supposed to make of that – not knowing that he had in his hands a centuries old prophecy that the Aldens and the Lockwoods would create a Pack stronger than any other.

* * *

End Season 1 Episode 15


	16. Plural

Harper was just getting out of the shower when she heard a pounding knock at her motel room's door. "Hold your horses!" she called out as she pulled on a robe. "Give me a minute." She tied the robe's sash around her waist, made sure she was covered up, and went to answer the door. "Of course," she muttered at the sight of Richard Lockwood standing there and stepped aside when he entered her room without an invitation. "Oh, please, do come in."

"I am not in the mood for your sarcasm, Harper." Richard was far from pleased at the current turn of events. "Were you aware that Blair broke up with Tyler? All of our plans for the Packs have been for nothing."

Harper figured that's why he came by. She closed the door as she answered. "Yeah, I know. Blair told me and I gave her my blessing."

Richard all but snapped at that. "You did what?"

"I know the prophecy, legend, whatever the hell you want to call it as well as you do but I was not going to force my daughter into a relationship she didn't want to be in. I know what I said and I know where I stood – where I still stand, but she wasn't happy, Richard. When I told her she didn't have to be with Tyler if she didn't want to – I could see the weight lift off her shoulders." Harper wasn't going to apologize for that. "And do not even try and place blame for the union not happening because you know Mason was in love with Blair and you drove him out of town!"

Richard stood firm with his decision about that. "He was too old for her. How would that have looked? Do you not remember what happened with you and Jae? And if nothing else their relationship was illegal. Tyler is a far better choice for her."

"She doesn't want Tyler like that!" Harper shouted back. "All you had to wait was two years, Richard. Two years and Blair would have been eighteen and they both would have been happy. If there is anyone to blame for the union not happening, it's you."

Richard let out a frustrated exhale because Harper was certainly more fiery than she had been since her return to Mystic Falls. He partly blamed it on her ancestor's Journal because she was definitely acting like Charlotte Alden in that moment. "I stand by my decision and I would do it again."

"Then, like I've already said, it's your fault." Harper opened her motel room's door and wave her hand through it. "You can go now. And I swear if you try to interfere with Blair and Tyler decision, I will take a page from my sister's playbook and make your life a living hell."

Richard adjusted his jacket and walked out without another word.

Harper closed the door behind him and took a deep breath. Her views on a lot of different things had changed since she had come back. A big part of that was because of Blair. Getting to know her made Harper see things differently and she couldn't be a part of the arranged Pack union any longer. Especially when Blair and Tyler still didn't know what they really were. A big part of Harper did want to tell Blair the truth about her lineage but an even bigger part kept telling her that it wasn't time. At least, it wasn't time yet.

* * *

Blair walked down the hall at school and was about to open her locker when Caroline appeared out of nowhere. "To what do I owe the pleasure of your perkiness this morning?"

"You know, I am just going to ignore your snark and ask you what I wanted to." Caroline playfully pushed Blair's arm before getting to her point. "Elena and Stefan have agreed to a group date with me and Matt tonight and we want you and Tyler to join us."

"Yeah, that's not gonna happen." Blair hadn't filled her friends or friend-adjacents that she and Tyler broke up. Well, she did tell Jeremy but beyond that nope.

Caroline crossed her arms and looked at Blair with an expression that made it clear she wanted an answer. "And why not?"

Blair got her books out of her locker and closed the door. "Because Tyler and I broke up."

Caroline gasped, "You and Tyler did what?!"

"What did we do?" Tyler asked as he joined them since he heard his name.

Caroline looked between the pair with wide eyes. "Is Blair messing with me or did you guys seriously break up?"

"She's not messing with you. It's all good, Caroline. It was a mutual decision so don't go all angry friend on me." Tyler did not want to deal with her wrath.

"Besides," Blair added in, "I was the one who broached the subject."

Caroline, even knowing that Blair had a thing for Stefan, was surprised. "You guys were so great together."

"And we're still great. Just as friends." Tyler chuckled and headed off, saying, "Later, Han. Caroline."

"See ya, Lockwood," Blair called back then shrugged in Caroline's direction. "Sorry. Guess it's gonna be a double date as opposed to a group one."

Caroline couldn't stand for that. "What? No. It's gonna be weird and awkward."

Blair laughed, "Then why did you suggest it?"

"Because I thought you and Tyler were going to be there as a buffer!" Caroline admitted and slumped against the lockers. "What am I going to do now?"

Blair patted Caroline's arm. "You're going to go on your double date – awkwardness be damned."

Caroline whined a bit, wishing she'd talked with Blair about it first. "There's no one else you can bring?"

Blair shook her head. "Sorry, Care, but the only other guys I'm interested in are unavailable one way or another."

Caroline perked up at that. "Guys? As in plural? Ooo, do tell."

The bell rang right at that moment, making Blair grin, "Saved by the bell. Have fun on your date." She blew Caroline a teasing kiss and went down the hall.

"Plural, huh?" Caroline went to her own classroom, thinking about that the entire time.

* * *

Later that day, after getting her homework done, Blair picked up a couple new videogames from the last rental place that she knew of in a five town radius, bought some soda and snacks, then went to the Gilbert's house.

Blair knocked on the door and rocked back and forth on her heels as she waited for someone to answer. Well, as she waited for Jeremy to answer. When he did, she lifted her bags with a "Surprise! I dub this evening friends and fun night."

Jeremy shook his head with a chuckle. "So this is how you get when you break up with someone?"

Blair narrowed her eyes at him. She would have crossed her arms if she could have but given the bags that wasn't really an option. "I could take these snacks and games and go back to my apartment with them."

Jeremy considered this for a moment. "You got ketchup flavored chips in there?"

Blair reached in and pulled out the big bag of them. "Well duh."

"Okay, you can hang out." Jeremy laughed silently when Blair threw the chips at him and came inside.

Blair went into the living room and set the bags down on the coffee table. "For the record I was going to hang out here with or without your permission. I'm starting to hate that apartment."

"Don't like living alone?" Jeremy already had the bag of chips open and he popped one into his mouth before plopping onto the sofa in front of the TV.

Blair made a bit of an 'eh' expression. "There are times I really like it but lately I feel like…I don't know. I'm starting to feel how alone living alone is." She shook her head because she didn't feel like she was making any sense.

Jeremy figured he got the gist. "You know you're always welcome to crash in my room if the solo apartment gets to be too much. You can even crash here tonight if you want."

Blair finished getting the game set up in the system then sat down beside him. "Seriously?"

"Yeah. I look out for my friends." Jeremy nudged her. "Especially my best ones."

Blair nudged him right back. "Thanks, Jer. I just might take you up on that offer."

* * *

Jeremy and Blair played video games for a couple hours and were about to pop in a movie when there was a knock at the door. "Don't start the movie yet," Jeremy said to Blair as he went to answer it.

"I'll pause it right after the previews," Blair joked back since she knew Jeremy liked seeing the previews. She was just about to get comfy on the sofa when she heard a familiar voice at the door. "Hell no," she said to herself and got up to see if it was who she thought it was. "Anna?"

Jeremy looked between Blair and Anna, asking, "You two know each other?"

"Just in passing," Anna answered and smiled at Blair. "Nice to officially meet you."

Blair crossed her arms with an, "Uh huh."

Jeremy thought there was something odd going on but pushed it aside to invite Anna to join then. "We were just about to start a movie. Interested?"

Anna was hoping to hang out with Jeremy alone but this would apparently have to do. "Sure." She entered the house with ease since she'd been previously invited in and was about to follow Jeremy into the living room but Blair stopped her.

Blair grabbed hold of Anna's arms and quietly but fiercely threatened, "If you do anything to hurt Jeremy I will kill you."

Anna didn't get a chance to respond to that because Jeremy called out,

"You guys coming or what?"

"Be right there," Blair called back and went into the living room like nothing had just been said.

When Anna joined them, Jeremy spoke to her. "I thought you and your mom were leaving town."

"She's got a business opportunity in town so we're staying. My mom is going to open up a little shop, something she's always wanted to do." Anna smiled at Jeremy and continued to wish that Blair wasn't there.

Blair sat on the chair near the sofa and pulled a leg up with her. "You got any other family in town, Anna?"

"No," Anna answered honestly since the rest of the Tomb Vampires weren't her family. "Just me and my mom."

Blair nodded in an 'okay then' manner and picked up the remote to start the movie.

"Hope you like Brendan Fraser as much as Blair does. I think she brought over every movie he's ever been in – George of the Jungle included." Jeremy loved getting under Blair's skin about her favorite actor.

"Hey," Blair defended, "George of the Jungle is an underrated movie and it's definitely not just for kids. Do not get me started on my rant again."

Jeremy laughed and held up his hands in surrender before turning his attention to the movie.

Anna looked between them to ask, "How long have you guys known each other?"

"All my life," Jeremy answered with no shame. "Blair here used to be best friends with my sister, Elena, but I stole the title from her."

"You can't steal what is freely given," Blair countered as she pointed at him.

Anna just nodded a bit because she wasn't aware of that fact and started paying attention to The Mummy movie that started to play.

* * *

After the movie, Jeremy declared at he was hungry and offered to make sandwiches. Blair was all for that but she had to make a quick pit stop upstairs first. She didn't like the idea of leaving Anna alone with Jeremy but since Jenna was likely to be back soon and Jeremy was on Vervain, she doubted Anna would be stupid enough to try anything. Besides all that, nature was calling.

With her business done, Blair went downstairs and headed straight for the kitchen where she found Jeremy pinned against the refrigerator with Anna drinking from Jeremy's hand. Without thinking, Blair ripped Anna away from Jeremy and grabbed the knife from the table, seething, "I warned you!"

Anna gasped and made a speedy exit when she heard the front door open.

Blair realized that she pretty much admitted to Jeremy that she knew what Anna was so she tried to make a quick exit as well but Jeremy caught up with her after talking to Jenna.

"You're not going anywhere." Jeremy blocked her path to keep her from leaving. "Do you know?"

"Do I know what?" Blair asked with crossed arms, pretending like she didn't have a damn clue.

Jeremy wasn't going to put up with her run around. "You do know. You know that Vampires are real and Anna was one."

"That's crazy. All I did was warn her like the protective friend that I am that I'd kill her if she hurt you. I don't know what kind of kink she's into but it definitely looked like she was hurting you so I was just sticking to my word." Blair didn't even believe what she was saying, but oh well.

Jeremy didn't buy a word of it either. "Don't lie to me, Blair. I want to know the truth."

Blair couldn't drag him into this. Not after everything with Vicki. "No, you don't, Jer. This is a can of worms you want to – you _need_ to leave alone."

"You can either tell me or I'll go looking for answers elsewhere. Don't think I won't, Blair." Jeremy needed to know.

Blair rubbed her forehead and had such a bad feeling that she was going to regret this but then again letting someone into her circle was exactly what she'd been wanting so maybe it wouldn't be so bad? Oh, she hoped she was right about that. "Fine. I'll tell you. But you have to swear to me that you won't tell Elena or anyone else anything I tell you." She held out her pinky for him to swear. "I mean it."

Jeremy wrapped his pinky around hers, saying, "I swear," then they both bit their thumbs to seal the deal. "I want to know everything."

* * *

Blair convinced Jeremy to let her have some time before she got into all things Vampire with him. He reluctantly agreed but made it clear he wasn't going to let it go. To kinda ensure that he didn't question her all night, Blair headed home. Well, that was her plan anyway but she didn't end up there. She didn't want to go back to the empty apartment so she ended up sitting in the Square. Blair sat alone on a bench for awhile until someone familiar approached.

Alaric, who had just left the Grille with some take-out for supper, spotted Blair and wanted to check in. "Hey, Blair, you alright?"

"Hello, Teach," Blair replied then sighed heavily, "That is such a loaded question you ask there."

Alaric gestured to the empty spot beside her with a 'may I?' expression and when she nodded, he sat down. "Want to talk about it? Believe it or not I'm a good listener."

"Talking to you about my problems doesn't blur the line of teacher and student?" she asked with a raised brow since he was very concerned about it before.

"Let's call it a neighbor checking in on a neighbor." Alaric pulled out the container of fries from his bag and offered her one. "What's going on?"

Blair accepted a fry as she asked in return, "You ever feel like you have a bunch of people in your life but no one that really knows you?"

Alaric could relate to that to a degree. "Sometimes. Why? Is that what you feel like?"

Blair nodded while munching. "Pretty much. Life can get overwhelming, Teach and I just wish there was someone in my circle who I – I don't know, didn't have to tiptoe around, I guess." She hated that she didn't feel like she was making any sense. There was a lot of hubbub going on in his mind and she was certainly getting jumbled up because of it.

Alaric popped a fry into his mouth before answering. "Well, as one neighbor looking after another, I could be someone like that. There'd never be any judgement."

Blair appreciated the thought but there was no way it'd happen. "Thanks for the offer, Teach, but I'd end up drowning you with all my baggage." She felt like she'd said too much so she popped her lips and stood up. "Thanks for the fries."

"Stay safe, Blair," Alaric replied as she walked towards their apartment building and didn't venture off himself until he saw her inside because he wanted to give her space. Just as he was about to go inside, he got a call on his cellphone so he stayed out to answer it. "Hey, V. I've been meaning to call you about that parchment you sent me."

"I'm listening," she replied from her end of the line.

"According to a colleague of mine it's part of a larger text. Long story short, he thinks the rhyme is part of a larger legend." Alaric adjusted the bag in his hand before adding more in, "According to the legend, the one with Den blood who will unite the families and make them stronger will be Immortal."

Things were silent for a moment before the conversation continued. "I wasn't aware of that part of the legend."

"There's apparently more to it but they haven't been able to track down the rest because it's apparently from a centuries old journal. And by centuries, I'm talking going on a thousand years. My colleague only happened upon it because legends going back that far are their forte." Alaric thought he lost connection because things went quiet again. "Anything else, V?"

"That's all for now, Alaric. Thank you for your help."

"Any time, Vivian." With their conversation over, Alaric ended the call and went into the apartment building, still having no idea just who Vivian was to Blair.

* * *

End Season 1 Episode 16


	17. I'm so sorry

Blair closed the window in Jeremy's bedroom due to the big storm rolling in that night. Jeremy had convinced her to finally tell him something so she decided to crash at the Gilbert's in order to do so. In fact, she had just finished telling Jeremy something big. No, not about the Vampires but something else – Blair told him about being the Cursed One.

Jeremy was still having a hard time wrapping his head around what she just told him. "Hold on, you're telling me that you basically get reincarnated with all your memories each time you die?"

Blair nodded in a 'pretty much' manner as she returned to her seat beside him on his bed. "Yep. Just don't go asking me how old I technically am because I don't have an accurate answer for that."

Jeremy still wasn't sure if she was serious or just pulling his leg to distract him about Vampires. He decided to play along with this since Anna was now his direct line to all things Vampire. "Say I believe you – How come you don't know how old your soul or whatever is?"

"I don't know who my first life was. And I don't mean my first life after being Cursed, I mean the one that was Cursed. I have no idea who they were or why the Curse happened. It's all a complete blank. And it hasn't always been a picnic. I've had guys hunt me down because of what I am but I took care of it before they could and thankfully they didn't find me in me next time." Blair didn't like talking about that part of her long ago past but talking about it with Jeremy felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. She still hated that she couldn't be honest with him about everything, but this was a start.

Jeremy's expression was pretty much stunned. "How do you even deal with that?"

"One breath at a time, but that doesn't always work." Blair fell back on the bed and looked up at the ceiling. "Sometimes I get flooded with memories and I black out because I can't processes the opened floodgates. And sometimes I act on what my past life feels and that can get complicated." She closed her eyes in an attempt to relax. "Being the Cursed One has its perks but just as many downsides."

Jeremy laid back beside Blair. To try and lightened the mood a bit, he asked, "What's your weirdest life?"

"I was a scientist at Area 51." Blair looked at Jeremy with a grin that hinted that she may be joking but perhaps was serious.

Jeremy didn't like the fact that he couldn't figure out which she was. "That's not funny."

"Actually I find it quite amusing." Blair lifted her head to look at the door when she heard it open.

Elena stuck her head in Jeremy's room, saying, "The storm is coming, mind making sure all the windows are closed?"

"We're on it," Jeremy replied and hopped off his bed.

Elena had one more thing to say before heading back to her room. "Remember I won't be here tomorrow. I'm leaving first thing to see Bonnie at her Aunt's house."

"I remember." Jeremy waited to see if there was anything else Elena had to say because she seemed to be staring at Blair. "Goodnight?"

Jeremy's tone caught Elena's attention. "Goodnight."

When she closed the door, Jeremy turned to Blair. "Are you guys enemies now or something?"

"I think 'or something' is absolutely the best way to describe what me and Elena are." Blair hopped onto her feet and used both hands to point towards the door. "Operation window check awaits." Before Jeremy could say another word, Blair opened the door with a bit of a flourish and dramatically left the room.

Jeremy laughed at this display and went along with her, getting the hint that she probably wasn't going to talk about anything more that night.

* * *

Since the storm was had gotten worse that morning, Blair went back to her apartment to make sure everything was all set with the windows and all that jazz. For the life of her she couldn't remember if she had closed them all and lo and behold, she left the one in her bedroom open. Thankfully not a whole lot of rain got in through the night so the mess wasn't too horrible.

Blair was listening to music on her phone while cleaning up the water mess when a call came through. She didn't look to see who it was and hit the button on her earbuds to answer it. "Whoever this is, be warned I'm multi-tasking and just might not catch everything you have to say to me."

"I'll keep it short," Stefan answered from his end of the line. "All the Tomb Vampires have been released."

Blair stopped mid-wipe when she heard that. "Please tell me this is a joke and only Pearl is out of the Tomb and HOLY SHIT BONNIE'S GRAMS DIED AND THAT NULLIFIED THE SPELL!" She realized she had just screamed all that out and winced a bit. "You totally had to pull the phone away from your ear there, didn't you?"

"Mhm," was all Stefan had to say about that.

Muttering to herself, she said, "Why didn't I think about the ramifications before? Dammit."

"It's not your fault," Stefan interjected. "None of us thought of it."

"Yeah, well, I'm the one with a Rolodex of knowledge and I'm slacking." Blair forcefully threw the rag into the bucket. "Is there anything else you needed to tell me?"

"A couple of the Tomb Vampires came after us the other night. Damon and I are going to pay Pearl a visit."

Blair pinched the bridge of her nose. "Is Jeremy going to be in danger? He's hanging out with Anna. Hell, I hung out with Anna the other night with him. My common sense is sorely lacking." She was blaming it on a past life. "Nevermind, I'll deal with it. Is there anything you need me to do?"

"Stay home. You'll be safe that way." Elena was already out of town so he didn't need to worry about her.

"No promises," Blair replied and that was the end of that. She ended the call and upon hearing a knock at the door she got up to see who it was.

Blair looked through the view hole and saw it was Mr Saltzman, so she answered it. "Morning, Teach. Those for me?" she gestured to the collection of candles he had in hand.

"In case the power goes out. The storm's getting worse," Alaric explained as he handed them over. "Has your mom been by lately?"

"Why?" Blair asked in a joking manner. "Are you hoping to see her?"

Alaric was quick to catch what she was really asking. "Not in the way you're thinking. I was simply hoping you weren't alone all the time."

"With our frequent doorway conversations I'm hardly alone. But to answer your question, no, she hasn't been by. We talk though." Blair lifted up the candles. "Thanks, Teach."

Alaric nodded in an 'okay then' manner and returned to his apartment.

Blair set the candles down on the counter and pulled out her cellphone to call Jeremy. When he answered, she cut right to the chase. "Hey, Jer, due to the whole Anna being a Vampire thing do you promise to only be out in public with her?"

"She's not going to hurt me," Jeremy answered, sounding a bit annoyed by the fact that Blair thought he would.

"Just give me your pinky-promise word, please." Blair needed to hear him say it.

Jeremy sighed but gave in. "I give you my pinky-promise word that I won't see Anna unless in public or with a chaperone. Good enough for you?"

Blair nodded affirmatively, despite the fact that Jeremy couldn't see it. "Sounds good. Love you, Jer."

"Love you, too." Jeremy ended the call on his end, leaving Blair to set her phone on the kitchen island with a heavy sigh. There was so much crap going on all at once and sometimes she just didn't want to deal with it.

* * *

Numerous times that day Damon had called Blair and since she didn't want to deal with him, she ignored every single one of them. It was harder to ignore the knock at her door, however – It was very incessant.

Blair looked thought the view-hole and saw Damon standing there. She answered it with a 'what do you want' expression. "Haven't you gotten the hint that I don't want to talk to you?"

Damon ignored her sass because he had something more pressing to deal with. "Is Stefan here?"

"No," Blair answered like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I haven't invited him in and I'm not going to invite you in either, so why don't you just leave…" her voice trailed off a bit. "Wait, why are you asking if he's here? What happened?"

Damon looked up and down the hall to make sure no one was around before saying, "Stefan went into the woods for a snack and he didn't come back. I can't get him on his phone and since Elena is out of town, I figured he'd be here with you."

Blair pulled her phone from her back pocket and dialed Stefan's number but she didn't get any luck there either. "Instant voicemail. What the hell – Damon, where could he be?"

Damon's jaw clenched a bit. "You're not going to like where I'm thinking."

Blair held her hand out to tell him to stay there and grabbed her black with purple trim raincoat. After making sure she had her cell and her keys, she walked into the hall. "I'm coming with you."

Damon cocked his head in a 'come along' then manner and led the way.

* * *

Damon was right about one thing, Blair thought as she saw in his car while he went to find Stefan, she didn't like where they were – Which was in the woods outside of town because Pearl had taken up residence in a cottage nearby. Damn Pearl. Damn Tomb Vampires. Damn everything!

Blair took a deep breath and looked out the car's window to the pouring rain. It didn't seem like the storm was going to let up any time soon. She wished she'd gone with Damon but he convinced her to stay at the car just in case he was wrong and Stefan wasn't there. She didn't wait for him to return to the car with the answer and darted out of the car and over to Damon when she saw him come into view, not caring that she was getting soaked as well.

"Where is he? Is he in there?" Blair's body was practically shaking in worry.

"They have him," Damon answered regrettably. "But I can't get in. The woman who owns the house is compelled to not let me in."

Blair found a way around that. "I can get in. I'm going in."

Damon grabbed hold of Blair to keep her from going anywhere. "You are not going in there."

Blair shoved his hands off of her. "Like hell I'm not!"

"I am not going to stand by and let you get yourself killed." Damon couldn't make himself any clearer than that. "You are **not** going in there."

Blair paced a bit as she used both hands to push her soaking hair back. "Why him? What do they want with him?"

"Revenge," Damon answered. "They want revenge."

"Because Stefan went to your father?" Blair asked with a loud and incredulous tone. "Giuseppe knew about Katherine before Stefan even said a word! If they want someone to take revenge on they can take their revenge out on me. I'll come back, Stefan won't!"

Damon looked a bit confused. "What? How did he…"

"Because I told him!" Blair shouted back, then clarified. "Mina told him. Mina told your father there were Vampires in Mystic Falls long before she caved and told him Katherine was one of them. He already knew before Stefan said a word." She pointed into the woods where Damon came from. "You go back there and tell them to make a trade. Me for Stefan."

Damon shook his head in a 'no way' manner. "Not happening."

"Then come up with something else!" Blair was certainly crying now but thankfully the pouring rain masked the tears that were streaming down her face. "We have to do something."

"I know, Blair. I know. But I don't know how to get him out." Damon wished he had an idea, but he didn't.

Blair tried to get him to agree to what she was willing to do. "Offer the trade, Damon. I'll come back."

Damon put his hands on Blair's shoulders and looked her in the eye to make himself abundantly clear. "You have died enough times because of us. I don't care what I've said or done before – I am _not_ going to be responsible for your death in this life. We will get him out somehow, I promise you. But you're not going to be sacrificed to do it." Suddenly an idea popped into his head, "But that doesn't mean someone else can't be…"

* * *

On the drive back to town – to the high school to be exact – Damon told Blair all about Mr Saltzman and his fancy ring that could bring him back to life. He also added in everything about how Alaric's wife was Elena's birth mother and how Damon turned Elena's birth mother into a Vampire.

Blair head was swimming with all this newfound information and rubbed her temples. "How out of the loop have I been lately? Holy crap…I mean, Stefan filled me in that he knew about Vampires but all this? I mean…HOLY CRAP!"

"You have made it pretty clear that you haven't wanted anything to do with most of our drama," Damon pointed out as he drove.

"Point taken, but still. Am I gonna have to do nightly check-ins with your guys so I don't miss anything else important?" Blair didn't even know that Elena found out she was adopted until Damon filled her in on everything. "Weird…"

That caught Damon's attention so he shot her a bit of a look. "What's weird?"

"Elena and I were both raised by women who we thought were our moms but turned out not to be." Suddenly she bursted out laughing. "If the mom that raised Elena turns out to be her aunt then this will officially be the weirdest life I have _ever had_."

Damon raised a 'wtf' brow at her. "You're something else."

"I am and have been a lot of things. This is nothing new." When they pulled into the school's parking lot, Blair pointed firmly at Damon. "Do not say a word unless it's absolutely necessary. I will do the talking."

"As long as you don't spend a million years explaining to him how you know everything, fine." Damon was about to get out of the car but Blair grabbed his arm and yanked him back.

"Between the two of us, the only one I'm worried about wasting time here is you." Blair didn't care if that was a low blow or not. She got out of the car and headed into the nearest door with a silent Damon in her wake.

Blair found Mr Saltzman in his classroom and knocked on the door before walking in. "Hey, Teach, I have a big favor to ask you but you can't freak out or ask any in depth questions, okay?"

Alaric set the pen down he was writing with and looked at her with an expression that was mixed with confusion and concern. "I'm almost afraid to ask."

"You should be," Damon said as he entered the classroom and took a seat on the windowsill. "But thanks to your Ring that brings you back to life, it shouldn't be a problem." He caught the 'shut up' look on Alaric's face and brushed it off. "Blair here knows everything. She's known for awhile, so now that's out of the way and Blair can proceed with her favor."

As Alaric turned to face her, Blair held up her hand to keep him from saying anything. "I promise I will explain later, but right now we need your help. Stefan was kidnapped by a group of Vampires and they're going to kill him. They compelled the owner of the house not to let Damon in and since Damon has suddenly developed a conscience where my wellbeing is concerned, he won't let me go in. As Damon has already pointed out, you have a Ring that can bring you back to life if anything happens to you. So, will you help us get Stefan out? Please, Teach, I'm literally begging you here and that never happens."

Alaric listened to everything and despite her pleads, he declined. "I'm sorry, Blair, but this is not my problem. I still expect an explanation."

"You'll get one if you help us." That was Blair's counter offer, but Alaric clearly still wanted nothing to do with this.

Since Blair was getting nowhere, Damon chimed in. "That's a shame. Because the woman in charge of the crowd can help you find your wife."

Alaric didn't believe a word that came out of his mouth. "You're lying?"

"Am I?" Damon left the sill to stand at Blair's side.

When Alaric looked at Blair in question, she raised her hands in an 'I'm out' manner. "I have no idea if he's telling the truth or not, Teach. I was just filled in on all this stuff on the drive here."

Since Alaric remained quiet, Damon baited him a bit. "You want to know if I'm telling the truth? Ask her for yourself." Still nothing. "Coward." He guided Blair towards the door. "Come on, let's go."

Before they made it out of the room, Alaric called out, "Alright! Wait. I'll go." He pointed at Blair to name his condition, "As long as she stays out of this."

Damon had no issue agreeing with it because that was his plan anyway. "Done."

Blair – who hated being talked about like she wasn't there and hated plans being made about her without her permission even more – decided to do whatever the hell she wanted to.

Alaric unlocked the bottom drawer of his desk and pulled out his Vampire hunting kit. After setting it on the table, he unrolled it to unveil his array of stakes, Vervain darts, and other thing.

Blair plucked out one of the darts and examined it. "Vervain tranq-darts? Nice."

"Just get me in. I'll get Stefan out," Damon interjected.

"You're going to take all those Vamps down by yourself?" Blair raised an incredulous eyebrow at him. "Please tell me that is not your real plan."

"I hope to be a little stealthier than that." Damon took the dart from Blair's hand and slipped it back into the case before she got any ideas.

"I still think I should go in and find Stefan while you play distraction." Blair was not willing to be left out of this rescue mission.

Damon was still not going to let her do it. "You'll just end up getting yourself killed."

Blair scoffed. "Not like I won't come back." At Alaric's questioning look, she said, "Think of me as The Doctor." That still wasn't enough for him. "I'll explain later." She turned her attention back to Damon. "In case you've forgotten, I've been a Vampire before. I know how to move so they can't hear me."

"They'll probably smell you instead." Damon poked at her forehead. "Human, remember?"

Blair smacked his hand away. "They'd hear my heartbeat – something I can slow with focus – before they'd smell me."

Alaric had to interject there. "We've already agreed that you were to have nothing to do with this."

"No," Blair shot back. "The two of you agreed without even discussing it with me. I can help so I'm going to damn well help whether you like it or not."

Damon noted how emotional Blair was getting about saving Stefan and it seemed to be a notch above worrying about a friend. "And you say you're over him."

"I never said that." Blair couldn't believe she said that out loud and rubbed her forehead. "Forget it. Fine. However you want to do this, fine. Let's just save him, okay? I cave, you win. Can we go now?"

Alaric gathered up the hunting things and put them in his leather case. "Let's go."

* * *

Blair sat in the car in the pouring rain and looked at the time. She was going to give them seven minutes before taking off herself. Since Alaric a few hunting items behind in the car, she looked through. After pulling out a stake and a Vervain dart, she looked at the time again. Two more minutes and she was going to the Vampire's house whether the guys wanted her to or not.

The last of the seven minutes were up and since there was no sign of Alaric or Damon, Blair went out into the storm. She ignored every rain drop that hit her as she ran and slowed her pace once the house came into sight. Blair lowered herself and moved slowly as she made her way around it, looking for a clear way in. By the sounds there were a lot of Vampires in there, so she'd have to be smart about this. Smart thinking and luck seemed to go hand in hand that stormy day because Blair came upon a staircase which led to the cellar.

Blair smirked to herself and made her way down there as quickly and quietly as she could. The metal gate was unlocked and in case it squeaked when opened, she waited until the next boom of thunder before going through it. Blair had to go down a stone hall a little ways until coming upon the door leading to the cellar itself.

This door, unfortunately, was locked but had glass panes that could be broken. So, once again, she waited for the thunder before using her elbow to smash in the glass. With careful movements, Blair reached her hand through to unlock the door and opened it. She avoided the glass where she stepped and peeked around the corner to find a Vampire listening to music with headphones on sitting down the hallway.

Blair pushed her wet hair out of her face, removed the stake from her jacket, and found its balance point. She had a plan. When she looked around the corner again, the Vampire was standing up and moving her way. Blair took that moment to strike. She stepped into the hall, threw the wooden stake at the Vampire with enough force to impale his heart – which is exactly what it did.

Damon stepped out from where he stood in the connecting hall, just after the stake flew by and killed the Vampire. Seeing Blair there made him asked, "Are you insane?"

"In this life? Nope." Blair removed the stake from the Vampire in case she needed to use it again. "You coming?"

Damon scoffed at this but there was no time to argue so he went with her to find Stefan. Something that didn't take long to do.

Blair was the first through the wooden door that led to the food storage part of the cellar, where Stefan was tied by his wrists hanging from the rafters, clearly having been recently tortured. There was another Vampire there was well who was bound and staked to a chair, but Blair went straight to Stefan and cupped his face. "Stefan? Can you hear me?"

Stefan opened his eyes and weakly spoke to her. "Blair? You – you shouldn't be here."

"She was supposed to wait in the car," Damon answered as he went to get Stefan down.

"You just told me to wait in the car. You never said how long I had to." Blair beat Damon to the ropes, saying, "Based off that vat over there, I'm guessing they soaked the ropes in Vervain."

Damon wasn't going to risk it so he let Blair deal with getting Stefan down and he caught him.

"What about this one?" Blair wanted to know as she gestured to the Vamp in the chair.

"Help him," Stefan answered weakly as Damon helped put his jacket on.

Blair pulled out the stakes that were in his legs and quickly undid the ropes. She trusted Stefan's word about him.

"Get him to the car," Damon said to Blair as he helped Stefan lean on her for support.

"What about you?" Blair wanted to know what the hell he was planning.

Damon's answer was simple. "You rescue, I'll distract. Go."

That answer was good enough for Blair, so while Damon headed for the stairs that led up into the house, Blair helped Stefan to the ones which led outside. Damon's plan was actually better in theory because Blair was having a bit of trouble getting Stefan up the stairs and into the woods. Not that she'd admit it. But unfortunately she did trip once…or twice, and there was no denying that.

At least they made it to the car in one piece. Blair got Stefan into the passenger seat and went around to the driver's side. Seeing that the keys were missing and wires were pulled out screamed bad news. "Bloody hell."

As soon as those words left her mouth the Vampire Frederick burst the passenger side window and pulled Stefan out. "No!" She darted out of the car and ran over to them. "Don't kill him! You want to punish someone then punish me! Kill me! I'm the one who told them about the Vampires in 1864, not Stefan."

Frederick was intrigued by this and threw the wounded Stefan, who had a small branch sticking out of him, onto the ground. "Oh, really? Because I do not recognize you."

"Maybe not with this face. Do you recognize the name Mina Pryce?" Blair circled him, ready to use the Vervain dart hidden in her sleeve.

Frederick certainly did. "The blonde bitch Katherine wanted to suffer. You were her?" And then it clicked. "You're the Cursed One."

"My reputation precedes me." Not that she was surprised. Stories of the Cursed One have been floating around for a long time.

"Let's see how much of the legend is true." Frederick 'Vamped out' and sped right at her, only to be met with a Vervain dart to the chest.

"It's all true," Blair seethed and watched as he dropped to the ground unconscious before running over to Stefan. She got to her knees and pulled out the branch. "Stefan, stay with me. You do not have permission to die."

Stefan didn't respond other than groaning mildly when she pulled the branch out. Other than that, he was completely unresponsive.

"Dammit, Stefan, don't do this to me. Wake the hell up!" Blair knew the Vervain was only going to last so long in Frederick. "Shit, shit, shit!" The last thing Blair wanted to do was give Stefan blood and make him a Ripper. She would never be able to forgive herself for that, but it seemed like she wasn't going to have a choice because another Tomb Vampire was in the distance coming their way, and they did not look happy.

Staking Frederick when he was down was one thing, but taking on a full strength Vampire with nothing but a small broken branch? Yeah, she didn't like her chances. Blair used the branch and pressed it into her hand until it broke enough skin for Stefan to get a taste. "Forgive me, Stefan. Please, forgive me." She pressed her hand to his lips and that gave him enough strength to speak to her.

"Get out of here," he weakly yet frantically said to her. "Go!"

"They're coming, Stefan, you need to drink. I'm so sorry." Blair held her wrist to his mouth. "Feed, dammit!" The Vampire was taking their time getting there, and Blair could guess they enjoyed seeing the fear on her face.

"Leave me and go." Stefan couldn't bear the thought of anything happening to her again.

Blair shook her head. "I can't do that."

Stefan looked into her eyes and asked, "Why?" he needed to hear her say it.

Blair didn't mean to say what came out of her mouth, but it was the truth. "Because I love you, you idiot! Now drink the damn blood!"

Stefan didn't take his eyes off Blair as he bit into her wrist and fed. When he had enough, he almost didn't stop but made himself. He couldn't hurt her.

Blair saw the Vampire was even closer now. "If you were going to kill them, this would be the time to do it."

Stefan felt himself heal and bound to his feet. In the blink of an eye he was in front of the oncoming Vampire and used a broken branch to stake them through the heart. When he returned, he did the same to Frederick.

Blair got to her feet and looked at Stefan with pain in her eyes. "I'm so sorry."

"Don't be," Stefan replied, not looking at her.

"But I…" Blair couldn't even say the words that she was worried he'd become a Ripper again because of her.

Now Stefan did face her, he couldn't keep himself from doing so. "You saved my life. That's all that you did." He wanted to address something else. "Blair, what you said…"

"Forget it." Blair crossed her arms and cleared her throat. "It doesn't matter. You're with Elena and I'm not going to get into the middle of that. I shouldn't have said anything, so please just forget it."

"Okay." Stefan may have said that, but he didn't think there would be any possible way that he could.

* * *

Once they were all safely back to town, Blair was about to go up to her apartment but she paused when a call from Jeremy came through. "Hey, Jer, what's up?" Her breath caught in her chest when he told her that they found Vicki's body. "Oh my god…where are you?" Upon hearing that he, Tyler, and Caroline were at Matt's house, Blair said, "I'm on my way."

It didn't take her long to get there from her building. When she rang the doorbell and Jeremy answered, she hugged him tight. "I'm so sorry," she whispered.

Jeremy hugged her back without a word and stepped aside so she could come into the house.

Blair gave his hand a squeeze before going over to Tyler who stood up from his seat as she approached. "Oh, Lockwood." Blair hugged him, too.

"I'm okay, Han," he answered quietly as he pulled back, "Matt, not so much."

Blair gently kissed Tyler's cheek then went off to find Matt. He was exiting Vicki's room when she found him.

As soon as Matt saw Blair, he broke down in tears. He had tried so hard to keep his strength up since he got the news but when Matt saw her, he knew that she'd have enough strength for the both of them. That's why he allowed himself to break, because he knew she'd understand.

"Matt…" Blair couldn't find the words and just held him as he cried. She wished she could go back in time and change what was done, but she couldn't and she hated it. Not only did she hate that, but she hated herself as well because if the spell to keep people who knew Katherine away from Elena hadn't been broken then none of this would have happened. If only she took it upon herself to find another Witch to cast it. If only she wasn't afraid that might spread the word of an existing Doppelganger instead of helping keep the secret. If only…if only a lot of things, but Blair couldn't change the past. All she could do was be there in the present and do whatever the hell she could to make things better in the future.

* * *

End Season 1 Episode 17


	18. Let's talk

Blair walked into the Boarding House and saw Damon coming down the stairs. She hoped he'd answer her question so she wouldn't have to ask one of the people she was trying to avoid directly. "How's he doing?"

"Stefan?" Damon asked as he walked towards Blair with a glass of blood in hand. "He's in denial. Why he can't suck it up and drink from blood bags is beyond me."

Blair shook her head and looked away from him. "This is all my fault. Stefan is an addict when it comes to human blood and I'm the one who gave him his fix." She went straight to the drink cart in the other room and poured herself one.

Damon didn't realize Blair was beating herself up about this so much. "You did what you had to do to save my brother, and yourself. Placing blame like this isn't going to do you any good."

Blair downed the bourbon before pouring herself another. "I've seen him on human blood before, Damon. More than once. It's never pretty and _I_ did it to him this time. I'm placing blame right where it deserves – on me."

Damon watched as she finished off another glass and took the bottle away from her when she tried to get another. "You're not going to school drunk."

"I'm not going to school at all," Blair countered and reached for the drink, only to have him move it further out of her reach. "Seriously?"

"You're not going to sit around and wallow. You are going to get your ass into gear, go to school, and live your life." Damon was adamant about that.

"Are you trying to make up for killing one of my lives by making sure I live this one?" Blair knew that was a low blow as soon as the words came out of her mouth.

"Take it however you like, but you're not taking any more bourbon." Damon took the bottle with him as he walked out of the room.

Blair rubbed her forehead with a heavy sigh before leaving the Boarding House, wishing like hell she could go to Wonderland, but thanks to the place being renovated by the new owners she'd never be able to go there again.

* * *

When Blair got to school she went straight to Matt's locker to see if he was there. Finding that he was, she walked right up to Matt and hugged him from behind.

Matt paused in his action of putting books into his bag and knew exactly what was going on. "You're hugging me. You only hug like this when you're drunk."

Blair groaned a bit and moved to stand beside him against the row of lockers. "Can't a friend give another friend a hug without there being some sort of mind altering substance involved?" She was doing her best to play it off like that, but she couldn't escape Matt's knowing look. "Alright, fine, I may have had a little something."

Matt looked worried about her because he was. "Day drinking? Seriously? Is that what you do in your apartment now?"

"I wasn't at my apartment when I had the drink, thank you very much. And for the record, I'm not drunk. You know very well how much it takes for me to get drunk." Blair rested her head back with a sigh. "How are you?"

"I'm doing okay," Matt answered as he resumed putting books into his backpack. "I wanted to thank you for everything you did with Vicki's memorial. I appreciate you and Elena putting aside whatever crap you're going through to take care of things. I don't think I'd have been able to do it without you."

Blair gave Matt's arm a supportive squeeze. "I'm here for whatever you need."

"We don't need casseroles, that's for sure," Matt chuckled. "Caroline has made more than I can count. I think my mom was on the verge of losing it on her. Thankfully she's with her dad so there's no worry." As he closed his locker and went down the hall with her, she asked, "Did you hear Elena's uncle John is in town?"

Blair's face scrunched up a bit at that. "Ugh, I never liked him. He always seemed like the epitome of the weird uncle to me. I'd hate to be in Elena's shoes." She nudged Matt a bit as they walked with a smile, "Catch ya later."

"See ya," Matt answered and watched as Blair went down the hall not to go to class but to walk right out of it. He shook his head hoping she knew what she was doing but doubted she even cared.

* * *

Blair went around to the back of the school where the students would get high and such. She found Tyler smoking a joint beside Jeremy and went right over to them. Without warning, she sat on Tyler's lap, took the joint from him with a "Thank you", and inhaled a long drag before handing it back to him.

Jeremy looked at them with a raised brow. "I thought you two broke up."

Blair exhaled as Tyler took a hit, saying, "We did. But we're still friends."

"We're friends and you don't act like that with me," Jeremy chuckled back, thinking how weird it would be if she did.

This time Tyler answered as he handed the joint back to Blair. "We're friends with the occasional benefit."

Jeremy nodded in a 'gotcha' manner because that certainly explained it. When Blair offered him a hit, he waved it off. "No thanks."

Blair took another hit and gave it back to Tyler. After blowing out the smoke, she asked, "Did I interrupt anything?"

"Talking about Vicki," Tyler answered as he moved the joint between his fingers. "They say she OD'ed."

"That's what I don't get," Jeremy instantly replied. "She was doing okay." He turned to face them and brought up something that was bothering him. "How did she end up buried in the woods? That's what I don't understand. If she was with someone when she OD'ed then they'd leave her there and not take the time to bury her."

"Maybe she saw something…" Tyler began to say but found he couldn't continue. "Hell, man, I don't know."

Jeremy looked at Blair because she was being very quiet about this. "No ideas?" He figured she'd have some sort of input about this.

Blair didn't have any ideas because she knew exactly what happened to Vicki but couldn't tell him. "Not this time," she answered and got off Tyler without another word and walked off.

Even Tyler thought that was a bit weird. "Something is definitely bothering her."

Jeremy was starting to get a bit suspicious about why. "Yeah. Something definitely is."

* * *

Since Harper was had taken Vivian's place in the Founder's Council, she in attendance to the latest meeting at the Founder's Hall. Sheriff Liz Forbes was filling the rest of the Council in on the Vicki Donovan case. "The coroner's office has officially ruled Vicki Donovan's death a drug overdose. Her family has been notified. The truth will stay in this room, and we can put this behind us."

"Thank you, Sheriff," Mayor Richard Lockwood replied then addressed the group. "And onto a more pressing issue. John Gilbert has asked to say a few words."

Harper took in a sharp inhale when she realized John Gilbert was there. She never liked the guy, even when they were younger.

John Gilbert stepped in front of the group, saying, "Hello, everyone. It's wonderful to see you. I wish it were under better circumstances. As a founding family member, I find it my duty to report some distressing news."

Harper tuned out for a moment when she heard Damon Salvatore talking to Liz behind her.

"He's a Gilbert?" Damon asked Liz.

"Elena's uncle," she replied. "His name's John but I call him jackass."

Damon smirked a bit at that then cocked his head towards Harper. "Who's she? Seems oddly familiar."

"That's Harper Alden," Liz answered, speaking a bit quietly. "Blair Han's mother."

Damon was a bit confused by that, "I thought Vivian Alden was Blair's mother?"

Liz shook her head. "Vivian raised Blair but Harper is her mother." She didn't have any qualms telling Damon this since pretty much every in town knew now that Harper came back.

Harper tuned back into what John was saying because at least then it might not be gossip.

John continued to tell the Council what he had learned. "A hospital blood bank in the neighboring county of Amherst has reported several break-ins over the last two weeks. Seven hunters, four campers, and two state employees have been reported missing as well, all of this within a seventy-mile radius of Mystic Falls."

Richard wanted to cut him off there before things got too far. "O – okay. No need to get alarmed right at this moment."

Harper turned back to Liz and Damon to say quietly, "Meaning he doesn't want to cancel his fancy-smancy Founder's Day kickoff."

John had to counter what Richard said. "You think all of your problems are over, but I'm here to tell you nothing has been solved."

* * *

When the meeting was over, Damon introduced himself to Harper. "We haven't been properly introduced. I'm Damon Salvatore."

"Harper Alden, but you already knew that. Just as you already know I am Blair's mother and not Vivian." Harper smiled sweetly at him but it was purely sarcastic.

Damon had an 'ah' expression on his face after she pointed that out to him. "Heard my little side conversation?"

"Well you were directly behind me." Harper felt like she was stating the obvious a bit there. "Now is there more to this introduction or am I free to go?"

Damon could definitely see where Blair got her sass from. "Have a nice day."

"I intend to." Harper didn't have anything personally against Damon, she was just annoyed that he and Liz were discussing her like they had. When Harper made it out to her car, she sighed heavily at the sight of John Gilbert leaning against it. "I just told someone that I intend to have a nice day, so please don't ruin this for me."

John ignored her words and got to the point. "Vivian must be gone for good if you're back in town. Does Blair know who you are?"

"She does. Now if you'll excuse me…" She was about to get into her car but he stopped her. "What do you want, Gilbert?"

"Do you know where Vivian is? She and I have some unfinished business to discuss." John had tried to track Vivian down himself and failed.

"I don't know where she is and I haven't heard from her either. Whatever business you've got going on with her, I don't want any part of it." Harper couldn't make herself any clearer than that.

John walked away from her vehicle but called out, "If you hear from your sister, tell her to give me a call."

Harper got into her car and slammed the door. She had no idea what Vivian was into now but like she said before, she wanted nothing do it with it. As Harper drove off, she hoped that whatever it was wouldn't have any blowback on herself or Blair.

* * *

After school, Blair went to Mr Saltzman's classroom to discuss one of her assignments but she knew that wasn't what he wanted to see her for. He wanted answers and she couldn't avoid it any longer. So while there was no one else around and they had a legitimate reason to be speaking after school, Blair told him the same thing she told Jeremy – How she was the Cursed One.

Alaric listened to everything she had to say and wanted to think it was too far fetched but he had a Ring that could bring him back to life and the world was full of Vampires, so why shouldn't someone who has been Cursed be in the mix?

Blair drummed on her desk as she looked at Alaric who was sitting on the edge of his own. He'd been pretty quiet about all this and it was starting to unnerve her just a little bit. "Please say something, Teach."

"I'm…processing." Alaric crossed his arms before asking, "So when you die you either come back in a brand new life or come back as someone already here?"

Blair nodded. "Yeah, pretty much. I've noticed that when I die with Vampire blood in my system that I 'wake up' in my next life as a Vampire who's already here. And I _always_ have the same birthday. How weird is that?"

"Out of everything you've just told me, that's the least weird." Alaric chuckled a bit at this because it was so out there. "So you've known the Salvatore brothers before?"

Blair nodded to concur. "A bunch of different lives have known them. Some weren't always pretty. Honestly, a lot of my lives haven't been that pretty. Way back, and I'm talking _way_ back, I was a kid and a Witch kidnapped my from my village. She was going to use me as a sacrifice for a spell to make her immortal or something, but by doing so it would have stripped me of my Curse and I wouldn't have come back in the next life. Her young protégé saved me. She killed me before the Witch Bitch could use me as a sacrifice so I could have a chance in the next life. Her plan worked because the Witch Bitch didn't find me again."

Blair couldn't believe she had just told him all that. "Sorry. Not sure why my mouth ran away from me there."

Alaric didn't mind. "Perhaps it's because I'm someone you can actually talk to about this. I'm guessing there aren't many people in your life that you can talk about it with."

Blair nodded because he was so right about that. "I used to be able to talk to my aunt about it." She fidgeted with the black claddagh ring around her finger that Vivian had given her. "I think that's what I miss most about her being gone. I miss talking to her and her just knowing."

Alaric was intrigued by this. "How did she just know?"

Blair popped her lips a bit before answering. "Because I shared all my memories with my parents when I was younger. It's a long story but I needed them to believe me and not think I was crazy, so that's what happened and my memories were shared with them." She rubbed her forehead because she said it wrong. "By my parents I mean my dad and my aunt who I thought was my mom."

Alaric had to point something out there. "Between your family's story and Elena's, I'm not sure which is more out there."

Blair let herself laugh a that before sighing, "Oh, don't I know it."

* * *

Jeremy texted Blair later that day inviting her over for Chinese at his house and despite the fact that his uncle was going to be there, Blair accepted the invitation. Presently Blair sat at the kitchen table with Jeremy and John while Jenna stood at the island. Blair was about to take a bite of an egg roll when John started asking her questions.

"So, Blair, have you heard from Vivian lately?" Since he hit a wall with Harper on that front, John thought he'd try with Blair.

Blair set the egg roll back on her plate before answering. "Not that it's any of your business, but no." She narrowed her eyes at him a little bit. "Why do you ask?"

"I thought it was none of my business," John countered and changed subjects when he asked Jeremy, "Are you taking anyone to the Founder's day kickoff party?"

Jeremy shook his head with a chuckled, "I have no interest in the Founder's Day kickoff party."

Blair raised her glass in a 'cheers' manner as she said, "I second that."

"Sure you do," John countered, addressing them both. "It's tradition."

"Far be it for us to break from tradition," Jenna chimed in with a hint of laughter.

John ignored her and kept talking to Jeremy. "The Gilberts have been a part of this town for a hundred and fifty years. So have the Aldens, if you didn't already know that, Blair."

"Yep, I know that." Blair wasn't going to get into detail as to how she knew it, but anyway.

John picked up where he left off. "The Gilberts and Aldens are two of the Founding Families, and with that distinction comes certain obligations, including going to the party."

"I don't think anyone would care if Jeremy and I skipped out on the party." Truth – Blair intended on going to the party but wanted to get under John's skin so she said otherwise.

"When you appreciate what being an Alden means, you should have a talk with your mother about your family's legacy." To give back a little of what Blair was shooting at him, he added in, "Either one should suffice."

Jenna couldn't believe John had just said that. "Seriously?" Her tone was completely scolding.

Even Jeremy was ticked about that. "Not cool, Uncle John."

John nodded his head a bit and apologized to Blair. "Forgive me, Blair. I simply meant that you could talk to Harper or Vivian." He turned his attention to his nephew. "Now Jeremy, one day, when _you_ appreciate the significance of being a Founding Family member, I'll tell you all about your heritage."

"Hmm. The Gilbert family legacy. I forgot how sacred it was." Jenna turned to the teenagers. "I'm not a Gilbert, so I was never cool enough to hear it."

Jeremy leaned closer to John in order to ask, "Why does she hate you?"

John answered like it was nothing, "We used to sleep together."

Blair choked on her food when she heard that and dodged when Jenna threw an egg roll at John's head, declaring,

"I'm standing right here."

Once Blair was able to speak, she said to Jenna, "I really don't think he cares."

* * *

It was pretty uneventful the rest of the evening and the following day Blair went shopping with Harper for something nice to wear to the Founder's Kickoff party. It was a pretty casual day and was really different than her last shopping trip which was with Vivian. This time it really felt like mother/daughter bonding.

Blair thought about that as she walked into the party with Harper. A part of her wanted to share with Harper the truth about everything but she didn't want to ruin what they had. Their relationship finally started feeling like a normal mother/daughter one and Blair didn't want to lose that. Besides, now that Jeremy knew about her being the Cursed One and Alaric knew just about everything she had more people in her circle to talk to. Blair didn't want to drag Harper into all that and thus enjoyed the budding normal.

Harper let out a deep exhale once they were inside. "I haven't been to one of these in parties in a long time."

"Always the same people, just a little bit older each time." Blair laughed stupidly at herself and shook her head. "You know what I mean."

Harper chuckled a bit, "That I do. I wonder if there will be any gossip about me this time. It's always interesting to hear because each time I end up learning something new about myself." She winked at Blair with a smile, "Behave yourself now."

"I solemnly swear I will be up to no good." Blair turned around on her heels and headed off to find someone she knew before Harper could say another word.

Harper watched Blair go in amusement, thinking out loud, "You are most certainly an Alden," before doing some mingling herself.

Blair found herself in the dancing area and tried to leave as quickly as she had arrived because Stefan was standing at the bar. Unfortunately, he spotted her before she could make her getaway.

Stefan went over to Blair because he'd been wanting to talk to her since she gave him her blood but this was the first chance he's gotten. "Hey, Blair, you got a second?"

Blair turned around since there was no way to avoid him now. "What's up?"

Stefan spoke quietly so she'd be the only one to hear him. "I wanted you to know that you don't have to worry about me. I'm good. I've gotten this under control." He could see the look of disbelief on her face. "Trust me, Blair."

Blair crossed her arms and shook her head. "Don't do that. Don't ask me to trust you when you're lying. You may have Elena fooled but you can't fool me. I know you, Stefan. I've known you through the good and the bad, so don't try to pull the wool over my eyes because I've already seen it. And I'm sorry for what you're going through. It's my fault and I will never be able to forgive myself for it. So whatever you're trying to do here…don't."

Stefan reached out to keep her from going. "Blair, wait. Okay, you're right I'm having…cravings, but alcohol is helping to take the edge off so I'm…dealing. I'm getting there." Now that was closer to the truth and she seemed more responsive to that.

Blair could believe that, at least she wanted to. The alcohol thing was definitely true because she could smell it on his breath. "Okay." She pointed to the other end of the room where Elena had just walked in. "Your girlfriend is here." When Stefan turned around to look at Elena, Blair took that opportunity to sneak away.

Blair was headed for the library when she found Tyler and Matt drinking some of Mayor Lockwood's very expensive booze. Without a word, she went straight to them, grabbed the bottle, and took a long swig before handing it back to them. At their surprised expressions, she waved her hand, saying, "Don't ask," and went elsewhere.

Harper found Blair wandering around and went straight to her. "Oh, thank god, someone who doesn't make me want to scratch my eyes out."

"Are people really being that horrible?" Blair wouldn't be surprised if they were, but still.

"I swear it's like high school all over again. Only this time I have to be the mature adult and not knock their lights out." Harper winced a bit after saying that. "That was so not a motherly thing to admit."

"Trust me, thanks to Vivian, I've heard worse." Blair wasn't phased by her mother's admission at all. "And honestly it's nice to hear I'm not the only one who punches first and asks questions later."

"Trust me, darling, it most certainly is an Alden trait. Short fuses and fighting instincts come with the territory." Harper couldn't wait until she could tell Blair all about why that was the case, but presently she changed the subject. "So…anyone here you want to dance with?"

Blair saw Jeremy in the crowd and pointed towards him, "I'm going to see if I can convince my best friend to take pity on me. You?"

"Yet to be determined." Harper shooed her daughter along. "Better go ask him before he vanishes into the crowd."

Blair saluted in reply and went off to find Jeremy. It didn't take her long to find him. He was at one of the many bars throughout the place getting a soda. Blair leaned against the bar beside him and asked, "Take pity on me and dance?"

Jeremy shook his head. "Not in the mood, sorry."

Blair could tell something was on his mind. "What's up, Jer?"

Jeremy sighed before admitting to her what he was thinking about. "It's Vicki. I can't get what they say happened out of my head. The Sheriff is no help and it just doesn't make any sense. And I feel like there's more to the story and…"

Blair took hold of Jeremy's arm and led him into the nearby empty room. "Jeremy, what do you think happened?"

"I think someone killed Vicki and buried her body, but everyone is so willing to take the easy route." Jeremy was really bothered by all this. "Do you think Vicki died of an overdose?"

Blair almost spilled the beans right then and there because she hated what this was doing to Jeremy, but Elena would likely kill her for doing it. The least she could do was answer his question. "No, Jer, I don't think it was. But that's what it was ruled and they're not going to do anything different about it." Gotta love the freaking Founder's Council covering up anything Vampire related. Finding that Vicki was staked through the heart included.

Jeremy couldn't help but feel like Blair knew more than what she was saying, just like he felt with Elena earlier. "What aren't you saying?"

"I don't say a lot of things. People would like I was insane if I said everything that went through the Breakfast Club that is my mind." Blair made the joke hoping Jeremy would leave it alone, but based off his expression she knew he wouldn't. So, Blair made a judgement call and said, "I can't say anything, Jeremy. I want to, but I can't."

Jeremy knew it! "You can't say that and expect me to leave it alone. What happened, Blair? What do you know?"

Blair rubbed her forehead, knowing she was going to regret this. "Not here and not now." She put her hand over his mouth to keep him from saying anything else. "Do not ask me any more questions. I will come to you when I can and we'll talk for real then." Blair raised her pinky for his, "I promise we will talk, but not here."

Jeremy knew Blair wouldn't make a pinky-swear if she wasn't serious, so he wrapped his around hers, saying, "I'm going to hold you to that."

Blair nodded affirmatively and left the room, mentally kicking herself for this because she had no idea what changed her judgement. One thing was certain, though, she needed some fresh air pronto.

Blair went out to the back patio area and found Matt's mom on the ground next to a knocked over table and Tyler over Matt punching the hell out of him. "Tyler!" She shouted and ran past Elena who was just standing there to pull Tyler off Matt.

She managed to get Tyler off and when he tried to get to Matt again, Blair punched him right across his face with all her might before shouting, "Back off!"

Tyler rubbed his jaw and his anger burst faded away, causing him to realize what he had just done.

Harper was talking with Richard when they heard the commotion outside and saw Blair punch Tyler before shouting at him. While Richard went to Tyler, Harper went straight to Blair guided her away from the growing crowd before asking, "What happened?"

"I don't even know!" Blair emotionally exclaimed. "I come outside and find Tyler punching Matt so I pulled him off. Apparently I punched him but I don't even remember doing that, really. It was like a reflex."

Harper knew what was the cause of this but was impressed with how Blair was able to have a better handle on her anger than Tyler. It was then that she noticed the Ring on Blair's finger – the black claddagh ring. "Where did you get that?"

Blair looked down at the Ring and said, "Vivian gave it to me. Why?"

Harper knew exactly what that Ring meant but didn't say anything about it. "It looked like an Alden heirloom," she lied. "But I see now it's different. Vivian must have picked it out based on that."

Blair didn't see the point of this, but let it go, saying, "Mind giving me a ride home?"

Harper wrapped her arm around Blair's shoulders and walked with her saying, "Of course."

* * *

Instead of going back to her apartment, Blair asked Harper to drop her off at the Gilbert's house. Blair had a feeling she was going to regret telling Jeremy everything but she also thought that maybe it'd be better if he knew. Jeremy already knew about the existence of Vampires and he was clearly not going to let the Vicki thing go, so Blair took the liberty to decide that it was time. Oh, Elena was going to kill her.

Blair knocked on the door of the Gilbert's house and after a minute or two, Jeremy opened the door. "I'm ready to talk now."

Jeremy had already found Elena's diary and read it, but wanted to hear what Blair had to say in case she chose to lie to him. Acting like he hadn't just been betrayed, he stepped aside and let her in. "Let's talk."

Blair took a deep breath and went into the house. Once they were upstairs, Blair told him... _everything_.

When it was all said and done, Jeremy asked her to leave. That was all he said to her, he just asked her to go. Blair didn't argue with him about that and did as he asked, but had one more thing to say to him before she left. "I'm doing the best I can in this life, Jeremy. I'm sorry it's not good enough."

Jeremy turned around from where he sat at his desk to answer her, but Blair was already gone. It was weird in a way that he wasn't angry with her for keeping the secret nor did he feel betrayed by her, but maybe it because she had nothing to do with the decision to have his mind wiped. Elena, however, did and that's where his anger and betrayal was placed even if he didn't show it yet.

* * *

End Season 1 Episode 18

* * *

 **A/N: Hey, Readers! This message is for all of you who have asked about this rewrite – Firstly for the Guest, Georgie - That episode where Tatia chose Elijah over Klaus is not the reason behind this rewrite. I knew about that before I ever started writing Personification, and I addressed it in that story that Esther cast a spell on Tatia to take her love for Klaus and put in her Elijah and the friendship she felt for Elijah out of him and put into Klaus to explain Tatia's actions. It's also referenced in Marie's life when she speaks on Tatia's behalf saying it was always Klaus. Hope that clears that up.**

 **Why I chose to do this rewrite was because there were a lot of things that I wanted to do in Personification but couldn't because I didn't think of it until it was too late, or I chose one direction over the other. This rewrite incorporates the different ideas I had and some of the paths I didn't take. Life After Life isn't just a rewrite of Personification, it's an** _ **AU Rewrite**_ **.**

 **Hope none of this came out as rude because that was not my intention. I also hope this answered questions well enough. Feel free to send me a message either on fanfiction or tumblr if there are more.**

 **Thanks for reading!**


	19. Damn straight

Due to Blair getting a late start that morning, she arrived at School after pretty much everyone else got there. It was probably a good thing, though, because if she hadn't been late that morning then she wouldn't have walked past Stefan getting something out of the trunk of his car. Seeing Stefan wasn't the important part of this event, it was what he had stashed away – empty blood bags.

Blair didn't warn Stefan of her being there until she walked up to him and whacked him on the back of her head. "Are you kidding me?! Are you even _trying_ to get better? Am I gonna have to pull a Lydia on you?"

Stefan played it off like it was nothing. "I just haven't cleaned them out yet. They're from right after you gave me your blood."

Blair called him out on that. "Bullshit."

Stefan placed his hands on her shoulders with a sigh. "You don't have to go all Lydia on me. I'm fine."

"I want to believe you, Stefan, but I don't." Blair pushed his hands off her before crossing her arms.

Stefan slung his bag over his shoulder. "That's your choice. Now, if you'll excuse me, my girlfriend is waiting for me."

There was something in the way Stefan said that which made Blair feel like he had taken a jab at her. So when he walked away, Blair flipped him off. She was about to go into the school herself but chose a different route – she was going to tattle.

* * *

Blair went to the Boarding House to talk to Damon. She didn't believe Stefan for a second that those were old blood bags, so she needed reinforcements. There was no point in going to Elena because she was so convinced that Stefan was fine and didn't want to see the other side of him. Unlike Blair, Elena had never seen it before.

Blair found Damon pouring himself a drink in the living room. She walked right over to him, plucked the glass from his hands and drank it herself. "We need to talk about your brother."

"Hello to you, too," Damon snarked back as he took his glass from her. "Have you finally decided to profess your love to Stefan and run away with him?"

"I've already done the first part of that," Blair's voice was flat, but it was true. "And if Stefan doesn't keep his paws off the local blood bank then you guys are gonna be the ones doing the running."

Damon paused mid-pour. "What do you know about the blood bank theft? Have you been talking to your mother?"

Blair was about to answer that but Damon mentioning her mother made Blair switch gears. "Why would Harper know anything about it?"

"Because she's on the Council," Damon answered like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Someone had to take Vivian's place."

Blair felt like her mind was blown. "Hold on. Vivian was on the Council? Harper _is_ on the Council?!" She couldn't believe that she did not know this.

Damon was picking up on the fact Blair had no idea what he was talking about. "Okay, well that's certainly not what happened, so why don't you tell me how you know?"

Blair needed a moment to process because she was putting so much effort in keeping Harper out of the supernatural that was Mystic Falls and all this time she knew about it and apparently was doing the same thing for Blair. After the moment, she got back to the reason why she was there, "Stefan's trunk is full of empty blood bags. He said it was from right after I gave him my blood, but I call bullshit on that. He's in full-time pep mode and that equals human blood. Stefan needs an intervention."

After Damon's conversation with Anna earlier, he had already suspected Stefan was the culprit behind the missing blood. "I'll take care of it."

Blair wasn't going to leave this up to Damon. "Oh, really? You're the one who wants Stefan to embrace his Vampiric nature, so why should I believe that you'll help him?"

"Because he's drawing the attention of the Council." Damon poured Blair a drink and handed it to her. "And I can't have that."

Blair downed the drink in one shot and handed the empty glass back to him. "You get one shot at this Damon before I go all Lydia on his ass."

"You were Lydia, too?" This was news to Damon. "Wait…if you were Mina then how did you come right back as Lydia?"

"Mina died with Vampire blood in her system, thanks to Katherine," Blair explained. "Whenever that happens my next life is a Vampire already in existence." It sounded pretty damn confusing, which at times it was. "You think you're confused? Try being the Cursed One."

* * *

If it wasn't for Caroline, Blair would have completely spaced on the whole Miss Mystic Falls competition. Thanks to her wanting to one-up Caroline, she'd been racking up the brownie points for it but hadn't actually planned on competing. Originally she signed up because she wanted to get on Caroline's nerves but maybe it was just the thing to get everything else off her mind. All this led Blair to the Grille, sharing a plate of fries with her mother, while they discussed this.

Blair didn't want to focus on how Harper knew about the Vampires and such of Mystic Falls. In fact, she wanted forget she ever learned that fact so she could have one normal thing in her life. If talking about the Miss Mystic pageant was a part of that then so be it.

"How was the interview portion? Did you feel like you were under a microscope?" Harper would have put money on the fact that Blair did.

Blair nodded in an 'oh yeah' manner. "Pretty much, yeah. But I don't think I did too badly. I was completely poised and polite."

Harper raised an 'uh huh' eyebrow at that.

Blair laughed, "I was! Seriously, I was on my best behavior. Something that was hard as hell to do but I'd do it again if it meant I didn't have to find an escort to the thing."

"What about Jeremy Gilbert?" Harper suggested as she dipped a fry in some ketchup. "You two are pretty close."

"Jeremy and I haven't really talked lately. I kept a secret from him and he got suspicious, so I started feeling guilty and caved. He told me to leave after that and haven't talked to him since." Blair missed talking to Jeremy and kept hoping that bridge hadn't been burned forever.

Harper could see that this was bothering Blair but didn't press her on it. "What about Tyler, then?" At her daughter's 'seriously' expression, Harper realized the error of her suggestion. She even went as far as imitating Blair by saying, "You mean _after_ I punched him at the kickoff party? I don't see him being in a helpful mood, mom."

Blair rolled her eyes at her mother's imitation. "I don't sound like that."

Harper smiled teasingly, "Yeah, you kinda do." She popped a fry into her mouth and wracked her brain for someone. "Matt's out because he's dating Caroline, right?" She received a nod of confirmation. "So…who does that leave?"

Blair's shoulders went as far up as they could go. "I don't know. I don't really have any other guy friends."

Harper reached out and squeezed Blair's hand. "You should talk to Jeremy and Tyler. Not because you need an escort, but because you care about them." Just then, Tyler came into the Grille and went over to the pool table area. "If that's not a sign then I don't know what is."

Blair turned around to see Tyler across the Grille and caved. "I'll be right back." She left her table and went over to Tyler who was getting a cue stick ready for his game. "I come in peace."

"That's new," Tyler joked then cleared his throat. "I've been wanting to talk to you since the party. I don't know what happened that night, Blair. I was messed up and…and I guess I just want you to know that I'm not upset you punched me. In fact I think I'm grateful because it snapped me out of whatever that was." It unnerved Tyler that Blair was quiet and he couldn't read her face. "Yo, Han, you alright there?"

Blair blinked a few times before saying, "So, Lockwood, does this mean you'd be willing to be my escort for the Miss Mystic pageant?"

Tyler laughed – he couldn't help it – before smiling. "Yeah, sure."

Blair beamed at his answer. "Well, then. That was easier than I thought."

* * *

The following day after school, Tyler had to join Blair for the special dance lesson. She probably didn't earn any brownie points from his mom who was teaching the lesson. Why? – because Blair arrived with Tyler carrying her on his back.

Carol Lockwood was not amused by their childish entrance, this was plastered all over her face. "I wasn't aware the two of you were dating again."

Tyler let Blair slide off his back as he answered. "Relax, Mom. I'm just helping out a friend."

Carol felt slightly better upon hearing that because she never liked the idea of Blair and Tyler dating and could never figure out why Richard was so adamant about them being together. "Well then, be sure to mention that to your father before he gets the wrong idea." Since she felt this topic of conversation had been exhausted, she addressed the rest of the Miss Mystic court. "Places everyone."

As Tyler stood in the line of guys across from the line of ladies, he said quietly to Blair, "If I had known the details of my agreement, I probably wouldn't have said yes."

"You know what they say," Blair grinned in a 'ha-ha' manner, "hindsight is twenty-twenty."

Tyler shook his head with a laugh but stopped when his mother glared at him. "Sorry."

Carol Lockwood nodded to show she heard and accepted the apology before getting down to the lesson.

Even though Blair was dancing with Tyler, her eyes kept going back over to Stefan. Damon told her he had things under control but a part of her didn't believe him. Stefan was clearly still on the human blood so it was only a matter of time before he snapped and killed someone, then flipped the switch to turn off his emotions so he wouldn't have to deal with the guilt.

Blair was caught with her 'peeking' when she heard Carol say, "Eyes on your partner, Miss Han."

Blair muttered a, "Sorry," before looking back to Tyler.

"Yeah, Han," Tyler teased, "quit checking out the competition."

"Shut it, Lockwood." Blair stuck out her tongue to show him he was kidding then took things seriously because Mrs Lockwood was clearly starting to lose her patience.

* * *

That weekend was the Miss Mystic pageant and presently Blair sat in the upstairs vanity room of the Founder's Hall to prepare for the event. Harper was helping Blair with her hair while saying, "I'm curious, whose idea was it for you to enter? I don't recall my sister being very fond of this event."

Blair set down her lip gloss on the vanity table in front of her and looked at Harper in the mirror. "It was dad, actually. He thought I'd shake things up if I entered. The prospect of that was enough to convince me." She cleared her throat, adding in, "Plus Caroline and I have this friendly competition between us, so there's that."

Harper put in the last of the purple butterfly bobby-pins in Blair's hair. "I can see your dad saying that." She placed her hands on Blair's shoulders smiled lovingly. "He would have been so proud of you. I know I am." Harper sniffled back some tears. "They did good."

Blair turned around and held onto her mother's hand. "I'm not done growing up yet, Mom. You can pick up where they left off."

Harper thought she was going to go full on water works and had to nip it before that happened. "When did we become so mushy?" She laughed and went over to get Blair's dress out of the bag. "Now I know that you like dark purple, but you trusted me with picking out the dress so I chose lilac. I think it will be beautiful on you."

Blair got up from her seat and looked at the dress with a soft gasp. It was thin strapped with a proper neckline, floor length, a lovely lilac color, and the bottom half of the dress was layered in a way that looked like one end of the fabric was crossed over the other to make a respectable triangular slit on the side. "It's beautiful…"

"Wait, really? I thought you were going hate it so I brought a black shimmery one too, just in case." Harper was seriously surprised that Blair wanted to wear this one.

Blair couldn't explain why she loved the dress because it was far off from what she would have normally worn, but as soon as she saw it, she couldn't imagine wearing anything else. "Really. I love it."

Harper felt like she'd done something right in the mom department and felt pretty damn good about it. "Well, how about that." She gently kissed her daughter's head as to not mess up her hair, and handed over the dress.

"I'm full of surprises." Blair smiled and went off to one of dressing rooms to change. She had just finished putting it on and was about to go back for final touches when Damon appeared in front of her.

"You look lovely," was Damon's greeting, "though I prefer you in red."

"Red was Kris's color, Damon," Blair corrected. "Not mine."

"Still, you look better in red." Damon cocked his head for her to follow him and was glad she didn't question and went along with him to the other room where Elena stood.

"What's going on?" Blair asked as Damon closed the door, wishing she had asked beforehand.

Elena shouted at Blair before Damon could answer. "This is all your fault! If you hadn't given Stefan your blood then none of this would be happening!"

Blair looked at Damon with a heavy scoff, "You told her? Is this your way of handling it?"

Once again, Elena didn't give him a chance to answer. "You should have told me the second you thought something was up."

Blair scoffed again. "Seriously? Because that's exactly what I have done. That's exactly what I did when I told you what happened, but you were oh so sure that Stefan was fine. So, what, when I warn you it's nothing to worry about but Damon says it and it's gospel? You don't know anything."

"You're the one who doesn't know anything when it comes to Stefan," Elena shot back, thinking if Blair _truly_ did then she never would have given him her blood.

This made Blair's blood boil. She got right up in Elena's face. " **I know Stefan**. I've seen him at his best and at his worst. I will know him better than you ever could. Just because you're dating him now, doesn't mean you know shit."

Before anything else could be said, Stefan came into the room asking, "Everything alright in here?"

Blair turned around to answer him. "Just discussing your extracurricular activities, but now I'm done. Have fun with these two." She pushed her way past Stefan and stormed out of the room without another word. Since the lineup was starting, Blair went to the grand staircase to take her place. The committee decided to hyphenate her name as Blair Alden-Han – despite the fact it wasn't supposed to be like that – so she would be the first introduction.

Blair closed her eyes and took a deep breath, kicking herself for feeling nervous about this, but when everything started and her name was announced that all seemed to fall away.

Richard Lockwood's voice called out, "Please allow me to introduce Blair Alden-Han. Escorted by Tyler Lockwood."

Blair took her cue and descended down the stairs to where Tyler was waiting for her. She smiled at the awed look on his face and almost laughed but contained it.

Once she accepted his hand and they made their way out to the patio to wait for the dance while the other contestants were being introduced, Tyler whispered, "You look incredible, Han."

"Don't look too bad yourself, Lockwood." Blair winked at Tyler and took her place across from them, watching as the others came out with their escorts. Everything was going well until Blair saw that Elena was being escorted by Damon and not Stefan. That clearly meant something wasn't right but there wasn't anything she could do about it then, so she stuck with the current plan and danced with Tyler when the music began.

In that moment, Blair was truly glad she and Tyler had ended things and were just friends now because what she was thinking wasn't fair to him. Blair was thinking about how Tyler wasn't the Lockwood she wished she was dancing with like this and thinking about that broke her heart a little. She couldn't help thinking about Mason and still feeling strongly for him because he was the one that taught this life to love. That's something she'd never be able to shake.

* * *

Thankfully the pageant had finally come to its end and Caroline Forbes was announced the winner. Upon this revelation, Blair extended her hand for a shake. "Congratulations. It's been fun."

Caroline laughed and hugged Blair instead of shaking her hand before going to retrieve her sash and such.

Blair was surprised that Caroline didn't rub the win in her face, but figured there's be time enough for that later. Right now, Blair chose to sneak away and see if she could find Stefan. She wouldn't have been as concerned if it wasn't for the fact that one of the contestants, Amber, was missing.

Blair quickly grabbed her coat and went outside into the night, making sure her mother didn't spot her doing so. She heard a scream and ran as fast as she could to get there and found Stefan feeding off Amber. "Stefan!" she shouted at him and when he whipped around in full Vampire mode with blood dripping from his mouth, she held her hands out in a way to show she didn't mean him any harm. "It's time to stop, Stefan. Okay, listen to me."

Stefan was practically feral and charged towards Blair to feed off her blood, but stopped when he heard her say,

"Go ahead. Kill me, Stefan. There's a first time for everything." Out of every life Blair has lived, Stefan has never been the one who directly killed her.

Stefan breathed heavily as he looked into her eyes and started to regain himself but suddenly it felt like his head was exploding. He cried out in pain as it practically made his knees buckle and saw Bonnie nearby with Elena and Damon. Stefan knew in that moment Bonnie was using her Magic on him.

Damon pulled Blair a safer distance away from Stefan to be on the safe side. The last thing any of them wanted was for Stefan to make Blair his victim.

"Stop it!" Blair shouted at Bonnie. "I was getting through to him!"

Bonnie didn't care what Blair was saying and continued with her Magic until she felt he had some sense knocked back into him. When she did cease, Stefan looked at them in a mortified fashion before taking off into the woods.

"Stefan!" Blair called out and tried to go after him, but Damon held her back.

"This isn't the way to help him." Damon wasn't a hundred percent sure what to do next, but he knew that Blair blindly running after him wasn't it.

Blair turned around and pointed firmly at Damon. "We tried it your way and look what happened. This time, we're doing it my way."

Damon figured that was coming. "And by your way you mean Lydia's?" he asked as he prepared to deal with Amber.

Blair's answer to that was simple. "Damn straight."

* * *

Elena wanted to be the one to put Blair's plan into action but Blair wasn't going to risk her like that in case Stefan snapped. She took her own precaution in case that happened and drank some of Damon's blood in case the worst happened and Stefan killed her. At least if that happened then Blair would 'wake up' as a Vampire in her next life.

What Blair told Elena was the truth, she didn't want to risk Elena's life but it was also because Blair felt like this was something she had to do. She was the one who gave Stefan her blood and if that hadn't happened then they wouldn't be in this situation. Elena was right in telling her that it was her fault this happened – Blair had been constantly telling herself that everyday.

Blair went up to Stefan's room at the Boarding House and found him having a bit of a freak out.

"You shouldn't be here, Blair." One of the last things he wanted was to see her.

"It's nothing I haven't seen before, Stefan. I haven't filled you in on _every_ life I've known you." Blair slowly approached him. "Let me help you, Stefan. Let me fix my mistake."

"You didn't do anything but bring what I truly am to the surface!" Stefan shouted back at her. "This is who I am and if you claim to know me so well then you know this!"

"I do know you," she affirmed. "I do. I know what you're like with your emotions on, I know what you're like with your emotions off. I know what you're like on a woodland diet, and I know what you're like on human blood. I have seen your struggle and your pain and I am _so sorry_ you are going through this again." Blair was close enough now to reach out to a pacing Stefan to get him to stop. "I _see_ you, Stefan. Let me help you. I've done it before."

Stefan looked at Blair with such pain in his eyes. He shook his head, saying with a breaking voice, "It's different this time. You can't help me. No one can. Just go."

This time Blair shook her head. "You're not getting rid of me that easily. You can shout and plead and whatever else you've got up your sleeves to make me go, but I'm not going anywhere. You want me gone, you'll have to kill me."

Stefan tried to stay strong but he faltered and started breaking down in tears.

Blair wrapped her arms around him and held tight as he cried. "I've got you, Stefan. You're gonna be okay. You have my word on that." As Stefan hugged her back, she slowly slipped the Vervain dart from the sleeve of her jacket and drove it into him.

Stefan groaned as he felt the Vervain weaken him before it rendered him unconscious. In the second he had to think before this happened, he thought that he should have seen it coming. Or perhaps there was a part of him that did, but didn't try to stop it?

Blair turned to Damon as he came into the room. "I've done my part for now. Lock him up."

Damon turned to Blair as she walked past him and asked, "You're still in love with him, aren't you? Even though you can't have him?"

Blair paused as she thought about something Mina said in the past and realized it still applied to this day. Before leaving without further interruption, she said to Damon, "I would rather love someone I can't have than have someone I can't love."

* * *

End Season 1 Episode 19


	20. Because I love you

_Mystic Falls, 1864_

Mina had a feeling that the Salvatore brothers would attempt to save their precious Katherine, and she was right. As Mina made her way through the forest, she saw the prisoner carriage carrying the Vampires that were collected and heard Stefan draw the group of humans away with the declaration that there was another Vampire.

Mina knew there was no such thing and rushed over to the carriage. When Damon knocked out the guard, Mina swiped the keys from the man's pants and held them away from him. "I cannot let you do this, Damon. They are monsters!"

"Give me the keys, Mina!" Damon pleaded with her. "I don't have much time."

"I know." Mina was about to run away but Stefan had returned to the carriage.

"Mina? What are you doing here?" He saw the keys she was holding so tight and needed to get them back from her. "Minnie, give me the keys." Stefan knew the men wouldn't be distracted for long.

Mina shook her head as she held the keys close, backing away from them. "No, I'm sorry. I am doing this because I love you, Stefan."

At her refusal, Stefan targeted her emotions. "If you still loved me then you would do anything for me."

Tears welled in Mina's eyes when he said that and handed over the keys. It was true, she did love Stefan. She loved him more than anything, even if she couldn't have him.

Mina turned her back on them as they rescued Katherine and kept an eye out for anyone who might be approaching. Thanks to the moonlight, she was able to spot a man taking aim. "Look out!" She shouted but Damon ended up getting shot anyway. Mina gasped and realized there was another man taking aim at Stefan. "No!" She ran in front of Stefan and took the bullet that was meant for him.

Stefan's hands shook as he held onto Mina and guided her to the ground. "Why…why?"

"Because…I love you…" Mina whispered those words before death took over and she moved onto her next life. Unknown to Mina, Katherine had been dosing her drinks with blood to turn her into a Vampire. Katherine's plan didn't work like she thought it would because when Mina died, while she did come back as a Vampire, she came back as the already existing Vampire Lydia.

* * *

 _Mystic Falls, Present Day_

Blair looked through the bars into Stefan's cell. Once the blood was out of his system then she'd talk to him. It was too early for her to try and help him now. He still wouldn't be ready to hear it or be accepting to it. All in good time.

Blair went back upstairs and as soon as she walked into the living room, Damon tossed her something that looked like half of a large locket with a funky gear within. "What's this?"

Damon waved his hand towards her. "You tell me. Mina was a part of the whole Vampire purge back in 1864. What does that do?"

Blair turned the item over in her hands. "This is what Pearl thought was the Vampire compass?" She had no idea what this was. "Mina never saw this. She wasn't really close to the Gilberts. I can't help you." Blair handed the…whatever it was it was back to Damon. "I got to get to school."

"Are you staying here tonight as well or just Elena?" Damon asked as he took Johnathan Gilbert's invention back from Blair.

"I've been trying my hardest to stay away from Elena." Blair picked her backpack from the chair and put it over her shoulder. She almost made a getaway but Damon stopped her.

"Did you and she used to be best friends or something?" Damon wondered what the story behind that was.

Blair let out a heavy exhale before telling him, "Shit happened, feelings changed. There are sometimes I miss being her friend but the times that I don't overshadow them. Maybe it's because I'm practically seeing history repeating and placing what I feel towards Katherine onto Elena, I don't know. But one thing is certain, Elena and I will never be friends like that again." She didn't care if that answer sufficed or not, but left the House anyway.

* * *

Blair's mind wandered a bit in the past as she walked onto the school's grounds but she was brought back to the present when she saw Jeremy walking towards the school. Blair needed to find out where they stood, she couldn't be in limbo anymore.

Blair took a deep, composing breath and hurried over to Jeremy before she lost her nerve. She didn't give him a chance to say a word before getting right into it. "If you hate me and never want to see me again then I need to know. So tell me right now and I promise you'll never have to deal with me again."

Jeremy felt bad for not talking to her sooner, but he was going through some stuff and then reconnecting with Anna happened and…yeah. "I don't hate you. You're my best friend. Do you think so little of me that a bit of betrayal would change that?" He smiled teasingly at Blair before pulling her into a hug. "We're okay, Blair. I promise."

Blair hugged Jeremy tight, feeling so relieved that she thought she was going to cry. "I've missed you."

"I've missed you, too." Jeremy pulled back and added in, "Just don't tell Elena I know. She's kept things from me so now I'm keeping something from her."

Blair was fine with this. She pulled her hand across her mouth like she was zipping it closed, turned like a lock, and threw away the key. "Not a word."

Jeremy wrapped his arm around Blair's shoulders in a friendly manner as they walked towards the school together. "Have I mentioned how glad I am that you and Elena aren't that close anymore?"

"Nope, but it's certainly noted." Blair poked a bit with a smile.

"I've got some news. Anna is starting school here tomorrow." He stopped walking to see what Blair thought of that.

"Anna is subjecting herself through high school not because she has to but because she wants to?" Blair blinked a few times to process and then realized why. "Oh, she wants to be closer to you? Well, as long as she doesn't do anything to hurt you, I say that's awesome."

Jeremy wasn't expecting that. "Really?"

Blair shrugged a bit. "It's not like I can tell you not to date a Vampire when I myself have done so numerous times in the past _and_ that I've been one more than once." She shrugged again. "Like I said, as long as she doesn't hurt you, I think it's awesome."

Jeremy narrowed his eyes a bit at her. "Did you take a little something before school?" That was the only thing he could think of to change her behavior like this.

Blair had another explanation, which was the correct one. "Remember when I told you that sometimes I act on what my past life would have done or felt?" At Jeremy's nod, she said, "Let's just say I'm having a Lydia day."

Jeremy had no idea what that meant so simply said, "Alright," and resumed their walk towards the school.

* * *

After an uneventful school day, Blair went back to the Boarding House. She walked in on Elena and Damon having a serious talk, or so it seemed. "I can come back."

Elena sighed heavily as she got to her feet because she needed to ask Blair's help with something and didn't want to admit it. "You said Stefan needs to start reacclimated to the animal blood, but he is refusing to eat. He won't listen to me or Damon." She crossed her arms and looked away. "Will you help us get through to him, please?"

Blair could have easily sassed back with something that'd hit Elena, but chose to be the bigger person in that moment. Getting under Elena's skin wouldn't help anything, so she just nodded and made her way down to the cellar. She knocked on Stefan's cell door before looking through the bars. "I see we've reached the dramatic part of our production."

Stefan lifted his head to look at her but didn't say a word.

"Let me guess, you said something to Elena along the lines of, 'After everything I've done, I want this to end. I need it to'." Blair knew she hit the nail right on the head when Stefan looked away from her. "Right. Well, guess what, Stefan. After all this time you'd think you'd realize that death is the easy part. Living, that's the hard part. But all the things that make life hard are what make you realize you're alive. And being alive, that feeling, that's worth the struggle."

Stefan scoffed incredulously at that. "That's rich coming from the person who keeps trying to die. What? This life isn't worth the struggle?"

Blair felt like she deserved that but also countered it. "I'm willing to sacrifice myself so no one else has to, because I'll come back. No one else will come back. What's a temporary sacrifice for me is a permanent for someone else. But maybe I didn't learn my lesson about thinking twice before jumping in front of a bullet." She pointed to the bottle of animal blood on the floor. "Eat your damn supper."

Stefan closed his eyes and inhaled deeply as he listened to her footsteps fading away. He knew what Blair was talking about, he knew she was referring to Mina and that made him think about that night. Even while under Katherine's compulsion, Stefan felt such heartbreak when she died and when he got shot and his life started to fade, it wasn't Katherine he reached out for…but Mina.

Stefan was about to return to his thoughts when he heard footsteps approaching again. He didn't look up until the door flung open and Blair stormed inside. "Get out of here, Blair. You shouldn't be in here!"

"Well here I am. You know what, Stefan, I've been trying this Lydia's way but I'm done with that. Now we're doing it _**my way**_." Blair picked up the bottle from the floor and thrust it towards him. "Drink the damn blood or else I make you drink it."

Stefan sped to his feet and Vamped out, shouting, "Leave!"

"No!" Blair shouted back and shoved him for good measure. "We've just established that my death is temporary so go ahead and kill me! I've been drinking Damon's blood since this all started so if I die then back I come as a Vampire ready to knock some sense into your thick head!"

Stefan turned around and sat on the cot, knowing that he would never be convincing enough to make her leave him alone. Killing her, hurting her, would be something he could never do and she knew it.

"You don't have to explain to me how you feel, Stefan. I already know. I know the guilt you carry inside you. I know what happened to your father and how you made Damon feed when he didn't want to. I remember everything you've told each of my lives, but you have to let it go." Blair sat down beside Stefan. "You will never be able to live if you keep holding onto the past. Believe me, I know. It's taken me a long time to get it, but I know."

Blair reached out and took Stefan's hand. "I know about your past, Stefan. You can talk to me whenever you need to, but I can't be the only one. There's a girl up there who loves you and needs you to be open with you. If you love her, then you'd be willing to do anything for her."

"How can you bring up Mina while trying to push me towards Elena?" Stefan couldn't believe Blair was actually pulling that.

Blair's hand moved to the side of his face as she whispered, "Because I love you. Which means I'll do anything for you. Even if it means letting you go." She stood up from the cot and headed towards the door. "I'm sending Elena down. Don't shut her out." Blair went out the door and locked it up behind her.

Stefan closed his eyes and exhaled deeply. He was a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions and honestly he wasn't sure what to do about it.

* * *

While Elena was talking with Stefan, Blair sat on the floor in front of the fireplace with a glass of whiskey in her hand.

"I thought you were a bourbon drinker." Damon walked over to Blair and sat beside her on the floor.

"You hid all the bourbon." Blair took another sip of the whiskey without taking her eyes off the flames.

Damon smirked in amusement. "I did, didn't I." He tilted his head a bit to get a better look at Blair's face. "This is really getting to you, isn't it?"

"Something like that." She set the glass down beside her. "I'm starting to wonder if it'd be best if I just left Mystic Falls. Harper's willing to go back to New Orleans and take me with her. I told her no but I'm considering it."

Damon didn't like the sound of this. "So you're just gonna run away because the guy you love is in love with someone else?"

"You're the one who's been telling me to live my life. And I'm the one who's been telling myself that I can't live it if I'm holding onto the past, so why not leave?" Blair moved some hair behind her ear with a heavy sigh. "I keep thinking about what I told Stefan about the struggle being proof that you're alive and that feeling of being alive makes it worth it, but I haven't followed that advice. Not really. I can I expect him to listen to me when I can't even listen to myself?"

Damon reached out and gently turned her chin so she'd look at him. "What Stefan has done and what he's gone through is nothing compared to the lives you've had to live. You're allowed to be hypocritical if you want to be. You deserve it."

Blair chuckled lightly, "Somehow that doesn't make me feel any better."

Damon grinned a bit. "Ah, but it got you to smile so I call that a win."

Blair rolled her eyes and stood up before grabbing her whiskey. "Stefan should be fine. He didn't flip his switch so that's more than half the battle that doesn't need to be fought." She set her glass on the table. "I'll be going back to my apartment tonight."

Damon was on his feet by this point and asked her, "What if I asked you to stay?"

"What for? Meaningless sex to make us forget the people we're in love with but can't have?" Blair's voice was hinted with laughter when she said that because she didn't think that was what he was getting at.

Damon shrugged in a 'why not' fashion. "Would that be so bad?"

Blair declined the offer, despite the fact that a part of her wanted one night of forgetting. "If you asked me to stay a week ago, I probably would have. If you ask me in a week from now my answer might be different than it is now."

Damon accepted the answer and didn't try to convince her otherwise. "I'll ask you in a week then." He leaned down and kissed her cheek. "Goodnight, Kris 2.0"

Blair rolled her eyes and just went with it. As she headed out, she called back, "Night, Dick," and closed the door behind her.

* * *

End Season 1 Episode 20


	21. Isobel

Harper was going over some things on her laptop in her motel room when there was a knock at the door. Based off the time on not only the computer but the watch on her wrist, it was way too late at night – or too early in the morning if you wanted to go that route – for her to be getting any visitors.

She grabbed the stake sitting behind her computer screen and moved to the window. After pushing aside the curtain just enough to see who was outside, she sighed heavily and opened it. "Do you have any idea what time it is, Jon?"

Jonathan Gilbert entered her motel room without a care and took in the scene. The bed was still made, computer on the table alit, and Harper not in her pajamas. "By the looks of things you haven't been to bed yet, so why does it matter?" He also noted the stake in her hand. "Expecting some unwanted company?"

"Almost everyone in this town is unwanted company," Harper replied as she tossed the stake on the bed and crossed her arms. "What do you want, Jon?"

"As you know, I am looking for Vivian. If you help me find her then I will give you some information." Jon was deliberately being vague, knowing that would pique Harper's interest.

"Tell me the information first and I'll tell you what I now know about Vivian." Harper grinned in a way that made it clear it was her terms or no terms.

Jon exhaled deeply. "I forgot how similar you and your sister could be." He pondered for a moment before telling her, "Your daughter is associating with Vampires."

"I know," Harper interjected before Jon could say another word. "Vivian was just telling me about that." She moved to the table to switch screens on the laptop and pulled up the video chat she was having with Vivian.

Vivian laughed at the sight she saw. "Well, hello, Jonathan. Don't bother trying to barter with my sister. I have told her everything she needs to know about the Salvatore brothers and how close Blair is to them. You're a little late to the game, Jonny-boy." She loved how his face hardened when she called him that, it amused her. "Now, I hear you've been looking for me."

"We have unfinished business, Vivian." Jonathan didn't elaborate any further on that since Harper didn't have anything to do with it.

"Not anymore, we don't," Vivian shot back. "I stopped owing you anything the moment your daughter knocked over the first domino that sent my husband to his death!" She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "I owe you nothing."

Jon had a different view on that. "Elena had nothing to do with his death. Jae was the one who lost control of the vehicle. If you want to go there, then what's to stop me from demanding something in return for the death of my brother and his wife? Since, after all, your husband was the one driving."

"Enough!" Harper shouted, looking between Jon and her sister's video chat on the computer screen. "V, if you owe Jon something then just pay up. You always pay your debts."

"For giving me the original text of the Alden-Lockwood Prophecy, I will send you the weapon you desire. Will that make us square?" Vivian knew it would not matter much if he had the weapon, she would still go ahead with her plans.

"Get the Dagger to me and we will never have to deal with one another again." With everything else that had gone wrong so far, he needed this to go right. He needed to make sure this safety net was in place just in case the worst came to be.

"You'll be getting a package soon." Vivian turned her attention back to her sister. "Give our girl a hug for me. I miss her more than I thought I would." She sighed, "Oh well," before ending the call.

Harper closed her computer and turned to Jon. "Two questions – One, how the hell did you get your hands on the original prophecy texts? And two, what dagger is so important that making a deal with my sister was worth it?"

"Isobel tracked down the text, how or where I don't know but that doesn't matter. And as far as the Dagger goes, let's just say it's something we'll need in case things go even further south than they already have." Jon bowed his head in a 'good evening' manner before taking his leave.

Harper wasn't about to let her go that easily as ran out to the parking lot to stop him. "Hold on, what does Isobel have to do with any of this and what plan? What the hell is going on, Jon?"

"Isobel is a part of my plan. The specifics of my plan are…Nevermind. I don't trust you enough to tell you." Jon smugly smiled at her before getting into his car and driving away.

Harper tapped her leg in frustration before going back into her motel room. She didn't like Isobel and Jon when they were younger and she sure as hell didn't like them now.

* * *

Quite a bit and yet not so much had happened to Blair. She was put on duty for two floats – Caroline's Miss Mystic one and the history class's Battle of Willow Creek one. Honestly she didn't want to be a part of either but didn't want to let Caroline down and felt the need to be a sort of buffer between Matt and Tyler who were also assigned to the class's float.

During the float prep at the high school, Blair was pulled away by Alaric who informed her, Elena, Stefan, and Damon that Isobel had made an appearance and requested a meet with Elena – A meet that if it did not happen then she'd go on a killing spree. By now Blair had been all caught up with the drama that was Elena's life, even though Blair knew for a fact that Elena still didn't know everything. Meaning she still hadn't told Elena that Jeremy knew everything and honestly wasn't going to.

Blair still couldn't get it out of her head that things were so similar with her and Elena, at least where their birth mothers were concerned. She couldn't help but remember that her life as Anne had a similar experience with Katherine back when Katherine was a human. Why the hell was it when Blair's life was born in the same year as the Doppelganger that there were similarities within their lives? So many differences, yes, but the odds of what was similar happening was slim and yet it happened.

As Blair thought about this, she felt like she was going to have a migraine and honestly wasn't sure if it made any sense. Her brain was kinda working over drive and she wouldn't have been surprised if she ended up passing out because of it.

What was decided at the end of Alaric's revelation about Isobel wanting to meet with Elena was that Elena wanted to meet with her. And not just because she didn't have a choice. This is where Blair bowed out.

"Since there really isn't anything I can do to help with this scenario, I'm just going to pretend that I'm a normal human being and get back to normal high school stuff. Kay?" Blair turned around on her heels to leave the classroom, but stopped when Alaric spoke to her.

"You're seriously backing out of this?" Alaric was finding that a bit hard to believe.

Blair turned back around on her heels to face him. "I don't even know why I was brought into this to begin with. This has to do with Elena's mother, not mine. I don't know Isobel, I have nothing to do with Isobel, so forgive me for wanting nothing to do with Isobel." She crossed her arms with a light scoff and a brief wave of her hand. "I mean, seriously, what am I expected to do here? Go on, tell me. Tell me what's my part in whatever plan you're cooking up and I'll do it."

The group pretty much exchanged glances with each other before Damon spoke. "You have a point. Not sure why you were pulled into the loop this time."

Blair grandly waved her hand in Damon's direction. "My point exactly. I'm useless here, guys. If that changes, let me know. Until then, I've got some float prep to do." This time when Blair walked out of the classroom, there was no one who tried to stop her.

* * *

Harper didn't like not knowing what Jon was up to so she decided to take another route to get some answers. It wasn't like she could go to the Council with this, not even to her fellow 'Wolf in the closet' because there were too many variables. Mayor Lockwood would likely cause more harm than good here, especially since he had no idea that the Salvatore brothers were Vampires. Unless absolutely necessary, Harper would like to keep it that way.

Harper hoped she wasn't going to regret asking Vivian to make contact with Isobel so they could touch base. How asking her sister that favor could possibly bite her in the ass, she wasn't certain but there were a lot of uncertain things as far as Vivian was concerned. Even so, she was the only one Harper knew that could make the meet happen.

The designated meeting place was a diner outside of Mystic Falls. Presently Harper sat at a booth near the window waiting for Isobel to arrive. She wasn't waiting long when the blast from the past walked in and sat across from her.

"This better not take long. I have others meetings today." Isobel looked Harper over with an amused expression. "You look older."

"And you've hardly changed a bit." Harper placed her hands on the table. "This won't take long. I just want to make sure that whatever plan you and Jon are cooking up that my daughter doesn't get caught up in it."

Isobel's amusement seemed to grow tenfold. "You really have no idea do you?" She chuckled at Harper's ignorance and leaned forward to say, "Blair won't be caught up in anything as long as she doesn't need to be. So far I've had no need to include her but that doesn't mean things won't change."

When Harper was about to speak, Isobel prevented her from doing so by saying, "You're not your sister, Harper. You don't have hardly any cards to play because you have no idea what is going on. So you can make all the threats you like but I know you won't do anything because you have just as much to lose." Isobel stood up, getting ready to leave. "I took this meet as a courtesy, but that only goes so far. I will give you a piece of advice, though. Stay out of my way and perhaps nothing will happen to you and yours." She smiled in mock sweetness, "Good day, Harper."

Harper pressed her hands into the table in frustration. That conversation did not get anywhere near where she thought it was going to. She didn't have any more information then than she started out with and this did not sit well with her.

After leaving money on the table for the cup of coffee and tip, Harper went outside with her cellphone in hand. She dialed Vivian's number and got into the car while leaving a message for her. "V, it's Harper. I have a bad feeling about Jon and Isobel. If you know anything you've got to tell me. I need to know what I'm protecting out girl from."

With that said and done, Harper ended the call, put the car into gear, and headed back for Mystic Falls.

* * *

After spending a late night at Caroline's to get the float designs done, Blair went back to her empty apartment. If it wouldn't have been inappropriate, she would have gone down to Rick's place just to hang out for a bit. This whole being alone the majority of the time was really starting to get to her. Yeah there were times she loved it but for some reason lately it'd been getting under her skin. This left her with only her thoughts and not just her thoughts but her memories.

That morning was no different. Blair was going over things in her mind and after getting some juice out of the fridge, she jumped fifty feet to find her past life Anne standing there. After all her years there were still times she just couldn't get used to seeing and conversing with her past selves that only she could see. "I honestly thought I'd be seeing Minnie by now. Not you."

"You should tell them everything." Anne moved to the other side of the kitchen island while Blair started in on her breakfast.

"Tell who what?" Blair had no idea what Anne was trying to get at but soon figured it out. "I am not telling them how I knew Katherine way back when."

"History could be trying to repeat." Anne didn't need to tell her this, after all she was just a projection of Blair's own mind.

"If it does then I'll do something about it. Just like last time." Blair lost her appetite and pushed her bowl of cereal away. "Maybe it won't bite me in the ass this time." She was done with this conversation with Anne, so she closed her eyes and willed her away.

When Blair opened them again, Anne was gone, so she cleared her breakfast dishes and gathered up her things. Caroline was expecting her help with the float so she couldn't be late. After this particular blast from the past, Blair was looking forward to the distraction.

* * *

Blair was using a staple gun to hold the decorations in place on one of the floats being worked on in the school parking lot when Caroline came over to her.

"Spill it," was Caroline's greeting with crossed arms of expectancy.

Blair 'kah-thunked' another staple before turning her attention to Caroline. "And what exactly would I be spilling at this point in time?"

"You use a lot of unnecessary words when you're trying to avoid something, you know that?" Caroline wasn't expecting an answer and went on to clarify her original question. "I've known you long enough to know when something's bothering you, so what is it?"

"That's a loaded question, Caroline, so I'd rather just do this and not think about anything else." Blair picked up another decoration to add, only for it to be taken from her hands by Caroline.

"Not talking about what's bothering you is the worst thing for you. I'm pretty sure you taught me that." Caroline raised a brow to emphasize that she wasn't going to let this go until she got an answer.

Blair couldn't tell Caroline what was going on and that was part of the problem. There were still so many she couldn't talk to about what she was dealing with and since the whole Isobel thing going on it really wasn't the time to be self-centered anyway. After a quick thought she did manage to come up with a way to say it though,

"I got a call from someone today – someone I hadn't thought about in a long time. And – and they asked me to do something but I just can't. What they want me to do will open up a whole can of worms that I'm trying to avoid at all costs." Blair didn't realize it until after she'd finished speaking that how vague she was being was probably going to make Caroline ask for more details. That's why it surprised Blair when she didn't.

"Don't do it then. If it's going to cause problems then it's not worth it." Caroline handed the decoration back to Blair with a smile before going onto dealing with other things.

Blair just nodded in an 'okay then' manner and went back to decorating only to find that her staple gun was empty. "Of course it is," she muttered to herself before tossing the decoration aside.

The supply table was off on the perimeter of everything to avoid anyone accidently bumping into it and mixing it all up. It was there that Jeremy came over to her, looking worried as hell. Blair was quick to pick up on this. "Whoa, Jer, what's up?"

"Have you heard from Anna? I've been calling her and haven't heard anything back. Not even a text." Jeremy was really concerned that something bad had happened to her.

"No, I haven't. I can try giving her a call now if you'd like?" At Jeremy's nod, Blair pulled out her phone and dialed Anna's number. After a couple rings it went straight to voicemail. "Hey, Anna, Mina 2.0 here. I'm with Jeremy at the school here and he's pretty worried about you. Can you shoot either of us a text at least to let us know you're okay?" The message system cut her off there so Blair returned her phone to her pocket.

Blair could see that Jeremy's worry just increased. "I'm sure she'll call, Jer. If we don't hear anything from her in a bit I'll help you look for her. Deal?"

"Yeah, okay. Thanks, Blair." Jeremy felt a little better knowing that he'd have some backup. Upon seeing Elena, he thought he'd ask her just in case, so he gave Blair a quick, "Later," before going over to his sister.

Blair turned her attention back to the staples and was about to reach out to get some when a guy dressed like a cowboy took her by the wrist. Before Blair could even get a word out, she felt a sharp sting in her arm and the world went black…

* * *

When Blair awoke she had a splitting headache and found herself in a very fancy house – borderline mansion – and she wasn't alone. The cowboy guy was standing with an attractive woman and in the chair beside hers was an unconscious Jeremy. "What the hell is going on?"

"We're holding you hostage until I get what I want," Isobel answered from the doorway as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I noticed you've been out of the loop a bit, so allow me to introduce myself. I'm Isobel."

Blair muttered, "Of course you are," before saying in a clearer tone, "Look, you don't need both of us to get whatever it is that you want, so just let Jeremy go."

"Oh, but I need you both here." Isobel took a couple steps closer to her. "I need Jeremy to ensure I get the Device and I need you to receive a message."

Blair had a bad feeling this was going somewhere she didn't want it to. "A message from who?"

Isobel chuckled a bit before answering. "Katherine. She wants you to know that she knows what you are, who you are, and who you were. She knows _everything_."

Blair swallowed a lump her throat and adjusted in her seat a little. "And how could she possibly know that?"

Isobel held her hands out to her sides and laughed. "Why Vivian of course. Your aunt has been working with Katherine for years, and there really isn't anything Vivian won't do or share if the price is right." She looked to her companions to say, "Knock her out. I've been warned to what she's capable of."

Blair bolted up from the chair but barely had a chance to defend herself before she was injected with a sedative yet again and passed out in result.

* * *

By the time Blair awoke the second time it was nightfall, Jeremy was conscious, and Jon Gilbert was sitting on the floor looking like he'd recently had the crap kicked out of him. "I'm killing someone for this. Not sure who I'm going to start with but someone is going to die."

"You're not killing anyone," Jon groaned as he pushed himself into more of a sitting position against the chair.

"You're not in a position to give me orders, Jon," Blair shot back and tried to stand up only to find she was quite a bit dizzy and needed to sit again. "And clearly I'm not in a position to make good on my threat _yet_."

"What are you even doing here?" Jeremy had been worried that she might never wake up because it'd been awhile since he had and she was still out of it.

Instead of Blair, Jon was the one who answered. "Vivian, right? She's got something to do with this where you're concerned?"

Blair tightly gripped the arms of the chair she was sitting in. "I'm starting to feel like everyone knows more about Vivian than I do, but we'll get to that later. What the hell is the Device Isobel wants?" She made sure to ask the question quietly in hopes of not drawing attention.

Jon touched the wound on his forehead with a mild wince before answering. "My ancestor, Jonathan Gilbert, invented a Device that's extremely harmful to Vampires. We've been trying to get it."

Jeremy had a follow up question but needed to ask his uncle something first. "You know Blair knows?" When Jon nodded, Jeremy went back to the matter at hand. "Why do you want the Device?"

"Because there is a group of Vampires from a long time ago that wants revenge of this town."

Blair knew exactly what Jon was talking about when he said that. "All the Tomb Vampires. Figures."

Jonathan nodded. "Exactly." He could see the gears turning in Jeremy's mind, so he said something to hopefully clear it up. "No one ever expected that Vampires would return to this town, not in modern times, but they have. And we have to destroy them."

Jeremy didn't like the sound of that. "All of them?" He couldn't accept that answer. "No – no, there are some good ones out there."

"There's no such thing," Jon countered, much to Blair's chagrin.

"That's bullshit." Blair scoffed incredulously and scooted herself closer to the edge, getting ready to stand when she felt completely able. "Just because your narrowminded view refuses to accept that doesn't make it true."

"I agree with Blair. I don't believe all Vampires are evil." Jeremy didn't intend on letting anyone change his mind otherwise.

"Well, your dad did. And as his son, that should mean something to you."

Blair couldn't believe Jon was pulling that crap. "You're seriously trying to guilt Jeremy into believing what you do? I've thought a lot of things about you, Jon, but I never thought you'd stoop so low."

Jeremy would address that later, but right now he needed to know something. "How did my father know about all this?"

Jon thought his nephew would have pieced it all together by now. "Who do you think taught me about the family history?"

Isobel stepped into the room at that moment and looked right at Blair. "Come into the other room. I wish to speak to you."

"And what if I don't want to?" Blair snapped, knowing all too well how immature that sounded.

Isobel's face turned serious as she replied, "Come into the other room or I'll break Jeremy's hand. If you're lucky, that's all I'll break."

Blair wasn't going to risk that so she pushed herself off the chair, held her hand out to keep Jeremy from trying to assist her, and followed Isobel into the other room.

Isobel led Blair into the study and leaned back against the desk and gestured to the chair across from her. "You look a bit wobbly there. Please, take a seat."

Blair was just stubborn enough to stay standing so that's what she did, but did brace herself against the back of the designated chair.

Isobel didn't care one way or another. "Suit yourself." She clasped her hands together in front of her. "Now as to why I brought you in here. I'm to deliver you another message from Katherine. As long as you keep your information to yourself she won't give away yours."

Blair had no idea what was being specifically referred to and needed a bit of clarification there. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"You know more than you think you do. Vivian is proof of that since you shared your memories with her, did you not?" Isobel moved away from the desk to step forward. "Keep your mouth shut about Katherine and she will do the same about you."

Blair agreed despite still not knowing what she was technically agreeing to. "Fine, whatever. It's not like I intend on giving that bitch much thought anyway. Is that all?"

"Yes, that's all. And you're free to go. The message has been delivered so I have no further need for you to be here. Run along." Isobel went as far as to shoo Blair away.

"I'm not going anywhere without Jeremy." Blair stood her ground about that.

Isobel sighed dramatically. "He and Jon are free to go as well. They are being informed of this as we speak. I have no need for them any longer, either."

Blair wasn't going to bother asking why they were free to go. It must meant that Isobel had already gotten or was about to get the Device somehow. Besides, Isobel wasn't the person she should be asking her questions to anyway. So without a word, Blair went out into the foyer to be met by Jeremy who assisted her without resistance this time.

The three of them walked out of the fancy-pants house together and headed down the walk, only to slow a bit when a car screeched to a stop and Harper came running out of it.

"Blair," Harper gasped and ran right to her daughter, hugging her close. With daggered eyes on Jonathan, she seethed, "If you had anything to do with this I swear…"

"It was all Isobel," Jon replied before Harper could make her throat. "Well, not all. You might want to have a more in depth conversation with your sister."

Harper's face hardened a bit when she heard that but turned her attention to her daughter. "Come on, I'll take you home."

Blair nodded and looked to Jeremy. "I'll call you later." On the way to Harper's car, she asked, "How did you know I was here?"

"I got a text from a blocked number saying if I wanted you safe that I better come here." Harper stopped once they reached her vehicle. "Blair, I think it's time we had a talk."

Blair couldn't argue with her there. "Yeah, I think it's time we did."

* * *

End Season 1 Episode 21


	22. I said okay - Season 1 Finale

Blair and Harper stayed up all night discussing everything. Well almost everything. Harper kept the whole Werewolf lineage and Prophecy to herself. Despite how much was being shared, Harper wasn't ready to get into that quite yet. But except for that, they talked so openly.

Harper told Blair the Alden history minus the Werewolves, about the Council, and how she knew Blair was acquainted with Vampires. In turn Blair told Harper about being the Cursed one and everything else that had been weighing so heavy on her.

Tears were shed that night as well as laughs being shared. It was time together both Blair and Harper needed dearly and it was a time Blair would look back on no matter what life she had and remember it fondly.

It wasn't until the sun started to rise that everything seemed to get wrapped up. Of course they would both need time to process all that had been learned about each other, but in that moment they just sat at the window together with cups of coffee in hand and welcomed the new day together.

Blair took a long drink before exhaling deeply. "So what now. How do things go from here?"

Harper leaned over to set her mug on the nearby coffee table before answering. "It means I'm in the loop from now on. Whatever messes you or your friends get yourselves into, I need to know about it. I can't help you if I don't know. And in turn, I will try to keep you one step ahead of the Council."

Blair could accept those terms and so she did. "I'm not going to speak for the others, but I'm down for that. And Vivian? With everything she knows about me and my pasts, she's bound to stir up more trouble."

Harper reached out and squeezed Blair's hand. "Let me deal with my sister. I may not have all the connections that she does, but that doesn't mean I don't have a trick or two up my sleeve." She pondered another possibility in that moment. "Or we can just saw screw Mystic Falls and go to New Orleans? That offer still stands."

Blair pulled her knee to her chest and rested her chin upon it. She knew they had family there and Harper wanted to go back because of them, but she couldn't help but feel like there was more to the story – a story she doubted she'd get the details for if she didn't agree. Would it be selfish to turn her back on Mystic Falls and everyone there? Perhaps, but it felt right. Going to New Orleans with Harper – with her mother felt right. "Okay."

Harper wasn't sure she heard her correctly. "What did you just say?"

"I said okay." Blair had some terms, though. "But after all this Founder's Day stuff. I made a commitment to the whole Miss Mystic float thing, which is essentially the same as giving my word and I never go back on my word."

Harper, who wasn't aware of the Founder's Day Vampire eradication plans yet, agreed. "The next morning then?" She was pleased when Blair nodded in agreement. "I'll make the plans then." Harper stood to leave but looked at her daughter before doing so. "Are you sure this is what you want?"

Blair smiled and nodded once again. "Yeah, it is. And if it turns out to be a mistake I'll just have to make up for it in the next life."

"The Cursed One is my daughter." Harper shook her head because she was still wrapping her mind around that. "I read about the Cursed One in one of the Alden Journals. You must have met them in one of your lives." Yeah, it was going to take Harper some time to get used to that.

Going into more of a mother mode, she kissed Blair's head gently. "Try to get some rest before getting ready for the Founder's Parade. You're going to need it."

"Don't I know it," Blair chuckled in reply and waved as Harper left the apartment. Looking out the window, she rested her head back with a deep exhale of relief. Knowing she had no secrets from Harper anymore felt like a huge weight had been lifted off her chest and she could finally breathe again.

* * *

After Harper set their travels plans in motion, she went back to Blair's apartment to help her get ready for the parade. They were in the tying up the dress portion of the preparation when Harper asked, "So did you ever wear anything like this way back when?"

Blair couldn't help but feel like her mom was teasing her a bit with that question. "Nothing so fancy, or so purple. Mina never wore hoop skirts, that's for sure. I remember quite a few people getting on her case about that."

"I remember an entry one of the Alden ladies wrote about something similar. They refused to conform to society's choice of attire and wore what they wished. She even wore _pants_. Scandalous!" Harper laughed right along with her daughter then finished up with the sash. It was a lovely dress with a mellow purple color to it, embroidered butterflies on the bodice and skirt, and of course a hoop skirt. Blair's hand was down and set with a lovely wave and a matching butterfly hair comb. Harper knew she was biased but Blair was stunning. "You look beautiful."

Blair found herself smiling at the compliment. "Thanks, Mom." She adjusted the fabric of the sash around her waist while looking in the mirror. "Did you get the plane tickets?"

"Yep, we're all set there. So I figure we'll just pack up the essentials tonight and head out first thing unless you want to go later so you can say goodbye?" Harper wasn't sure where Blair stood on the whole goodbye aspect of it all.

"I wasn't planning on saying goodbye," Blair answered honestly. "I'm going to write letters and mail them out before we head to the airport. Despite my lives, I'm still not good at goodbyes."

Harper wasn't going to push Blair to do something she didn't want to so she just left it at that. "Whatever you feel is best." She moved a stray hair out of Blair's face with a look of satisfaction. "I think, my dear, you are good to go."

Blair looked at herself over one more time and found she agreed. "Let's get this day over with."

* * *

At the school where all the floats and such were gathering, Blair picked up her skirt and joined the crowd. She was looking for Jeremy first to see how things were going with Anna. The last text she got from him said that Anna was safe but nothing beyond that. She hoped everything was alright and wanted to touch base.

Instead of finding Jeremy, she found the Salvatore brothers first. Not caring what their conversation was about, she asked, "Have you seen Jeremy?"

Damon looked at Blair with surprised eyes due to how nicely she was put together. "This is a nice look for you, Blair. I like it. And no, haven't seen the little Gilbert around, but aren't you curious about what happened last night?"

Blair addressed the first part of what he said first. "Take a picture, it'll last longer. And as far was the Isobel stuff, are any of us in danger?" She looked between the brothers who both shook their heads in reply. "No? Good, I don't need any details then."

Since Damon wasn't being any help, she turned to Stefan who couldn't seem to take his eyes off her. "Save the googly eyes for your girlfriend, Stefan." It everything she had not to have an emotional reaction of seeing Stefan dressed like a blast from the past.

Stefan realized he was staring and cleared his throat because of it. "Sorry. And, no, I haven't seen Jeremy around."

"Alright, well if you see him please send him my way. I want to talk to him before the parade." Blair waved her hands out in front of her. "Carry on with your conversation." With that said, she picked up her skirt and went on her way.

Damon leaned closer to Stefan to say, "I thought I'd see a hint of Minnie in her today, but nope."

Stefan happened to agree with his brother. "That's all Blair."

* * *

Blair was just about to give up on finding Jeremy when she spotted him in an era appropriate solder's uniform. "Hey, Jer. I've been looking for you."

"I was with Anna." Jeremy spoke in hushed tones so no one could overhear. "Her mother is dead and she thinks my uncle was the one who killed her."

Blair stopped in her tracks when she heard that. "Oh my god, seriously?" She already had a strong dislike for Jonathan Gilbert and it just increased tenfold. "Is she okay? Are you okay?"

Jeremy wasn't quite sure how to answer that. "She's leaving town and wants me to go with her. Everything's all screwed up." He paused a moment before adding in, "Elena knows I know everything. I left out how you already talked to me. As far as she's concerned, I found out from her journal."

Blair figured Jeremy would tell Elena eventually but she was curious about something. "Why would you leave me out of it? You could have told her."

"Things between you have been so intense for awhile now. I didn't want to add anymore crap to what you've got going on." Jeremy had to get to the float so he said, "I better get to my spot. See you later?"

Blair nodded, despite knowing that they probably wouldn't, and let Jeremy go on his way. Just when she turned around to get to the Miss Mystic float, she saw Tyler in an era appropriate suit standing there. "Wow. Looking good, Lockwood."

Tyler chuckled at her compliment. "You don't look too bad yourself, Han." He offered her his arm. "Ready to do this?"

"Are you?" she countered as she placed her hand in the crook of his arm. "Have you made up with Matt yet?"

Tyler rolled his eyes with a bit of a groan. "I already told him I'm sorry. And Caroline already pointed out that I need to do better than that so you don't have to."

"Not everyone is capable of forgiving like I can." Blair changed what she meant by that. "Actually, it's more like not everyone can understand and accept like I can. I don't really forgive very often."

"You're lucky you cleared that up because I was two seconds away from blowing a hole in your logic." Tyler laughed when Blair swatted at him for that. Now at the float, he took her hand to help her aboard. "After you."

Blair smiled and went up the steps to get onto the float and couldn't shake the feeling that there were eyes on her. When she finally looked, she found that the eyes she felt were none other than Stefan's.

* * *

The parade went on without a hitch. It was fun and normal and a nice part to Blair's last day in Mystic Falls. When it was over she changed into normal attire, a very welcome change, and went out to enjoy the festivities with Harper. During this time neither of them spoke about their plans to leave and what was going to be left behind and just let themselves be.

They didn't break off from each other until that evening when Harper was called away for something Council related, so Blair went to the Grille to hang out. That would have been the perfect time to track down everyone she wanted to say goodbye to but she didn't want to answer the questions that would likely be asked. But even more than that, she didn't want anyone to try and convince her to stay.

Presently Blair was playing another round of pool with Tyler and was yet again kicking his ass. "You're never going to beat me, Lockwood. I am a pool prodigy." More like she's had many lives to give her a lot of practice.

"One of these days, Han. One of these days." He lined of his shot after breaking only to miss, which pretty much meant the game was over because Blair likely wouldn't.

"Today is not that day," she laughed and was about to line up her own shot but stopped when she saw her mother coming into the Grille with the Mayor. Just by the look on Harper's face she knew something was wrong.

Harper went straight to Blair and Tyler and spoke before Richard could. "You two need to go home now and take your friends with you."

Blair was going to need more details than that. "What's going on, Mom?"

Harper guided Blair away, leaving Richard to speak with Tyler. Once they were far enough off, she spoke quietly. "There's a horde of Vampires planning on attacking the Founding Families tonight. There's in a plan in place to deal with them but I need you safe. Go home and I'll call you when it's over."

"Let me help," Blair countered, not wanting to let her mother deal with this without her. "I'll probably recognize them from Mina's life."

Harper wasn't going to let that happen. "No. I'm not risking you. Just please go home and tomorrow we're leaving this place. Okay?"

Blair had a bad feeling about this but agreed anyway. "Okay." She hugged Harper tight, "Be careful, Mom. I love you."

"Oh I love you, too." Harper kissed Blair's cheek then went to join Richard while Blair left with Tyler, Caroline, and Matt. She had no doubt that the plan to deal with the Vampires would work but knowing that Blair would be safe and away just in case made all the difference.

* * *

Harper stood in the crowd while Richard stood at the podium and gave his speech about the founding of Mystic Falls and the pride of today and all that jazz. Honestly Harper thought he needed a new speech writer, but that really wasn't important, being on alert was.

She knew the cue to get ready for action was when the fireworks started. With a Vervain syringe at the ready she took a deep breath when Richard announced that he was dedicating the fireworks show to the Founders' legacy. "Showtime," Harper said to herself and waited for the Vampires to start dropping only to find things weren't going to go as planned.

Harper's ears started to ring at an increasing intensity before a pain unlike anything ever felt before formed within her head. "No," she cried as she pressed her hands over her ears to try and block it out but it wasn't working. It wasn't supposed to be like this. This Device was only supposed to work on Vampires! But apparently Werewolves were affected by it, too, because soon enough Harper dropped unconsciously to the ground as blood started to drain from her ears.

Meanwhile, Tyler and Blair were both having a similar reaction. During their drive home, they heard the screeching ring before feeling the intense pain. Tyler lost control of the vehicle during this, causing a crash, and Blair had passed out from the pain before they even crashed. Neither Caroline or Matt knew what was happening to them and their attempts to help and prevent anything bad from happening were in vain.

* * *

When Harper awoke she found herself in a basement of some sort that was being engulfed in flames. It took her a moment to adjust and bring herself into a sitting position just in time to see a Vampire snap Richard's neck. "No!" she cried out, but it was too late.

"Harper?" Damon couldn't believe that she was down there and could see the Vervain had no effect on her either – just like the Mayor. "What the hell are you?"

Harper was going to answer that, there was no point not to since they were both going to die but she didn't get a chance. A Vampire came up behind Harper and wrapped his arms around her. Upon this happening, she said to Damon, "If you get out of here take care of Blair!" Those were her last words before the Vampire snapped her neck and her lifeless body fell to the floor.

Elsewhere, Blair was on the road being taken care of by paramedics and as soon as Harper's life ended, Blair gasped into consciousness. "Mom?" she gasped sharply, her eyes darting around because the first person the thought of upon awakening was her.

After getting cleared by the paramedics, Blair didn't go with the hospital with Tyler and Matt who went with Caroline. She apologized like crazy and asked them to call her with an update later but she had to make sure her mom was alright.

* * *

As soon as she got back to town she saw the fire trucks outside the old Gilbert building. This made her call her mother constantly but only getting her voicemail. She then called the number Harper had given her before for the Mayor as an 'only in an emergency' number, but didn't get an answer there either. Hoping Harper went to the apartment, Blair went straight there.

"Mom?" She called out and looked around to no avail. "Mom!" Blair was really starting to freak out with worry. If something screwy happened to herself then maybe something happened to her, too. She needed to know.

Blair was just about to dial Harper's number again when there was a knock at the door. Hoping it was her mother, she ran straight there to answer it only to find Stefan standing there. "I don't have time for whatever drama is about to come out of your mouth, Stefan."

Stefan hated what he had to tell her, but it needed to be said. "Please invite me in. This isn't hallway talk, Blair."

"You say that every time and it's never going to happen." She was about to shut the door in Stefan's face but stopped when he said,

"I know what happened to Harper."

Blair threw the door open again so he could tell her. "Out with it. Is she okay? Where is she?"

Stefan swallowed a lump in his throat before asking again, "Please invite me in."

"Dammit, Stefan, if this is some ploy I swear I'll stake you!" Blair's voice may have been low but the threat was real. "Where is my mom?!"

Stefan braced himself against the door frame before answering her. "The Device against Vampires somehow worked on Harper, too. She was brought to the cellar in the old Gilbert building because she was thought to be a Vampire. Damon was down there and saw what happened. One of the Tomb Vampires snapped her neck. She's dead, Blair."

Blair shook her head over and over again. "No. No, she's not. Where is she Stefan? Where is she?!" Her voice grew louder with more emotion as she tears started to pour. "She can't be dead! NO!" she screamed.

Stefan took a step forward to try and be there for her but hit the barrier keeping him out. It killed him seeing her like this. "Blair…"

Blair dropped to the floor in tears, sobbing through her grief, "Come in," because she needed someone – she needed him. Blair couldn't go through this alone, she wouldn't make it if she had to.

Stefan didn't waste any time and went right into the apartment. He got down beside Blair and held her close as she cried and screamed and held onto him. Stefan stayed right with her as she let out every ounce of anger and grief she was feeling in that moment. He thought about what Damon said when he told him what happened to Harper. Damon told Stefan that Harper's last words were to make sure Stefan took care of Blair. And Stefan, believing him, intended to do just that.

* * *

End Season 1 Episode 22 – Season 1 Finale.


	23. I'm done - Season 2 Episode 1

" _ **I'm done, Stefan. I'm done. I'm done with everything and anything involving Vampires…and that includes you."**_

 _Those were the last words Blair said to Stefan before he left her apartment. So much of her pain was attributed to Vampires in more ways than one – in more life than one – and she'd had enough. Blair had to make a clean break from all of them. Even Stefan. If another issue came up in their lives then she wouldn't get involved in any way, shape, or form. No. Blair was done. At least that is what she has sworn to herself, but who knows for just how long she'll be able to keep her word on that._

* * *

Blair was holed up in her apartment scrolling through her cellphone of the few pictures she had of herself and Harper. In the blink of an eye everything changed – her mother was dead and she was left all alone…again. It killed her to feel this way and honestly Blair wasn't sure if she would be able to move on – to live on – but she was going to for her mother's sake.

This wasn't the first time Blair had lost a parent in her lives of course, but this time it hit her harder than most. Not only did Blair lose her mother but she felt as if she lost some sort of – of cosmic connection to the world and now she was just floating aimlessly.

Needing to feel some sort of tether to this world, to this life, Blair still planned on going to New Orleans and find the Aldens there. If for nothing else than to tell them her mother had passed. She didn't expect finding the other members of her family tree would solve anything but she was still going to go. In fact, she was shoving clothes into a duffel bag when her cellphone rang and she saw Jeremy's number. Jeremy was not on the list of people she was ignoring so she took the call. After taking a deep breath to contain her rage and grief, she answered with "What's up, Jer?"

"It's not Jeremy," Stefan answered from his end of the line. "But don't hang up. I know you said you were done with all things Vampires but Jeremy took some of Anna's blood and tried to become one. Anna died in the fire, Blair. Jeremy needs you probably as much as you need him right now."

Blair didn't answer Stefan and hung up the phone. She had time to make sure Jeremy was okay before getting to the airport so that's what she was going to do.

* * *

After hanging up on Stefan, Blair went straight to the Gilbert's house and went inside without knocking. In Jeremy's room she found Stefan keeping watch and Jeremy laying down on his bed facing away from them. Even with her own state and her own grief she needed to be there for Jeremy because Stefan did have a point; Blair needed Jeremy as much as he needed her.

"You can go now." That was all Blair said to Stefan before going straight to Jeremy. She climbed right into his bed and laid down behind him. After Blair wrapped her arms around Jeremy, he held onto her and cried,

"Anna's dead."

Blair sniffled back some of her own tears as she answered with, "I know…my mom was in the fire, too."

As soon as Jeremy hear that, he sat up and turned around to face Blair. He held his arms open for her to embrace and when she did, they sat there together in silent grief. Nothing else needed to be said in that moment. They knew each other well enough to know what words would have been said so there was no need to actually say them.

Eventually Jeremy would want Blair to talk to him about her mother but not them. No, right then he wasn't ready to talk about her loss or his own and that was okay. He could tell that Blair felt the same way so their silent support of each other was exactly what they needed.

Stefan stood in the doorway as he watched the two of them together and wasn't sure how he felt about it all. It wasn't that he was feeling jealous or anything like that…then again maybe in some ways he was. Probably it was because Stefan wished he was the one Blair could grieve with. He knew that she he was there when she broke down after the news but she put up that wall separating herself from others all over again. Hopefully one day Blair would tear down that wall or at least put in a door to give someone a chance of getting through.

* * *

Blair had fallen asleep next to Jeremy but was jolted awake when she heard something crashing downstairs. After quickly checking to make sure Jeremy didn't wake up, she darted downstairs to find Stefan Vamped out as he pressed Elena against the wall. "What the hell, Stefan!"

"Hello, Anne," Katherine smirked before snapping Stefan's arm and speeding away.

Okay, so that wasn't Elena. Blair stood frozen when she realized that was Katherine and jumped out of her skin when Elena and Damon came into the house. This was all too much to bear. "Figure out this shit on your own. I'm done. If it's not about Jeremy or Jenna don't call me at all."

Damon wasn't going to let her get away that easily and sidestepped to stop her from going anywhere. "Yeah, no. You're not going anywhere or else you're gonna end up doing something stupid in your grief."

Elena had no idea what Damon was talking about. "Grief? Blair, what happened?"

Blair's face hardened as she turned to answer Elena's question. "My mother is dead. So you better pray I never see Johnathan Gilbert or any other Council member again because if I do there's gonna be hell to pay." This time she managed to push past Damon and leave the house.

Damon looked at Elena and Stefan as he said, "I said she was going to do something stupid." But there wasn't anything he could do about it in that moment, so he focused on the present problem; Katherine.

* * *

The next morning Blair stopped by to visit Caroline who was in the hospital. If Blair had known sooner that Caroline was there she would have gone when she found out but she didn't know. And now things were just spiraling. Blair hadn't even had a chance to think about a funeral for her mother and she was on her way to the wake for Tyler's father. If it wasn't for Tyler she wouldn't have attended at all because she truly wanted every member of the Council dead. Would she actually act upon that? Probably not, but the sentiment was there.

As Blair went up the front path towards the Lockwood house, Tyler came out and met her. "Hey, Tyler."

"Hey, Blair. You didn't have to come." Tyler hugged her because he appreciated that she did come but he would have thought she'd be grieving for her own loss.

"Yes I did," Blair countered as she hugged him tight before pulling back. "I can't think about plans for my mom. I don't have anyone to help me with it so I just can't." She realized how it sounded like that was the only reason for her attendance. "But I wanted to be here for you, too."

"I know." Tyler wrapped his arm around her as they headed to the house. "We'll figure something out for your mom."

Blair nodded in a noncommittal manner as they walked up the porch steps together then turned around when they heard a vehicle coming up the driveway. Upon seeing who was behind the wheel made Blair just about lose all breath until she gasped, "Mason."

Tyler wasn't sure how Blair was going to be able to handle this. "You gonna be okay?"

Blair shook her head. "No." Hopefully before Mason saw her, Blair went into the house and straight through the group of people to get out the backyard. Her intent was to make a getaway from there but first she had to stop at the nearest largest tree in order to hide behind it and remember how to breathe.

When Blair suddenly felt a hand touch her arm, she grabbed hold and yanked it backwards in self-defense then released when she saw it was Damon. "Don't sneak up on me right now, Damon."

"Ow and noted. Quick question – Why did the Device work on you and Harper?"

"Now is **not** the time to talk to me about what happened." The last thing she wanted to do was rehash what happened that night.

"Just answer the question. Because the Device worked on the Lockwoods, too. You're the Cursed One so tell me what you know." Damon really believed she knew something but wasn't saying.

"I don't know!" Blair shouted at him then took some deep breaths to try and keep her voice level. "I don't know why it affected us the way it did. **I don't know**." Stefan had already asked her similar questions before she wrote all Vampire related stuff off and the answers didn't change. "As much as I'd like to know why it happened I have other things to worry about right now. Like making funeral arrangements for my mother for example."

"That's already taken care of," Damon informed her. "I was going to go over the details with you tonight but if you agree it's all set."

Blair couldn't believe Damon would do that. "Wha – Why?"

Damon groaned a bit before saying, "Because I couldn't save her for you. It's the least I can do."

Blair closed her eyes tight as she shook her head. "I can't deal with this right now." Without another word she walked away.

"You can't keep running away from what's bothering you!" Damon called after her.

Blair turned around long enough to shout back, "Watch me!"

She made it around to the side of the house and froze when she saw Mason approaching her. There was no way to avoid him now so she quickly said, "I'm sorry for your loss," and tried to move around him but stopped when he asked her,

"Is that all I get?"

Blair turned to face him. "Yeah, that's all you get. Because this is so not the time or the place to say what I _**really**_ want to say to you."

Mason accepted that answer. He had no doubt that there was a lot Blair wanted to say and it likely wasn't very nice at all. "Can I at least say I'm sorry about Harper? I heard what happened."

Blair took in a shaky breath and stepped back when he moved towards her. "Don't do that. Don't come over here and try to comfort me."

Mason didn't listen to Blair and held onto her. She tried to pull back for one second before she gripped onto his shirt, buried her face in his chest, and sobbed her grief. Mason placed his hand on the back of Blair's head and whispered, "I'm sorry." His words were not just for her loss but for everything else – Everything else that they couldn't talk about yet.

After Blair's moment of weakness she pulled away from Mason without him trying to stop her and walked away. With everything else that she was feeling she didn't need her feelings about Mason in the mix as well. One would think with every life after life her strength to bear loss would grow, but not this time. Not at all.

* * *

Later that day, after much avoidance of pretty much everyone in attendance except for Jenna who found her and expressed how sorry she was that Harper died, Blair found Tyler in his father's study. She was about to say something to him when he shouted in anger and threw everything off his father's desk. Carol came in to comfort her son but he shoved her away and that brought Mason into the room as well. Mason tried to get Tyler to calm down but Tyler fought him off too. Blair finally stepped in to put a stop to this.

"Tyler!" she shouted at him and when he face her she clasped her hands on either side of his face and firmly said, "Stop it, Tyler. Calm down." He tried to pull Blair's hands away but she stayed firm. "Breathe, Tyler, and calm the hell down." She turned him so he'd look her in the eye. "Look at me and _calm down_."

Tyler took breaths as he looked into her eyes. Finally he felt his rage settling and said, "I'm sorry."

"I get it. You think I don't want to tear the world apart? I want to set the freaking world on fire! But I can't do that and neither can you. We can't let our anger dictate our actions. Not anymore. You hear me, Lockwood?"

Tyler nodded because he heard her. Wasn't sure if it'd work but he got what she was saying. "Yeah, Han. I hear you."

Blair hugged Tyler before walking past Mason and over to Carol who was further away. She spoke only loud enough for Carol to hear when she said, "I know what the Council did and how my mother really died. If Vivian doesn't come back here and make you all pay for that, you can be sure as hell **I will.** "

* * *

Part of managing her rage meant doing something for Harper's funeral, so Blair went to the Boarding House to see what Damon had planned. Upon arrival she found the front door was wide open so Blair slowly entered the house just in time to find Damon throw a glass of bourbon into the fireplace in rage. "Seems to be a lot of anger going around tonight."

"What I'm angry about is nothing compared to what you're feeling." Damon wasn't going to dump all his emotional baggage on her.

"Distract me then." Blair sat on the arm of the couch. "Or I can guess that all the crap with Katherine being back is stirring up some festering emotions that just finally 'popped'." She made an exploding hands motion when she said 'popped'. "Am I getting warm?"

Damon scoffed and poured himself a drink to replace the one he threw. "How the hell can you be so wise in all the present crap that is your life?"

"When I'm hurting it takes longer to process but I get there eventually. That and the coping mechanisms from a past life could be filtering through." Blair shrugged because she honestly wasn't sure if it was that or if it was because after seeing Mason she felt connected to this life again. "What happened?"

"I'm not going to tell you." Damon downed his drink and poured another. "You're just going to hate me again."

Blair chuckled, "I never stopped hating you for what you did to Kris, Damon. I don't forgive anything in case you haven't noticed, I just eventually come to understand. And I understand you. At least I understand your current desire to make things numb." Blair went over to Damon, took the glass from his hand and finished it off. "You think you can help me out with that?"

Damon wasn't quite sure what she was asking of him in that moment. "What are you saying, Blair?"

"I'm saying I want to feel _anything_ else than what I'm feeling right now. No strings. No regrets." She figured he'd get what she was saying now.

Damon knew he shouldn't agree to what she was offering but he couldn't help it. "Alright. If you answer me one thing. Is this you, Blair Alden Han, that's asking me this or a past life?"

Blair turned a little to look at the mirror on the wall and saw not only her reflection but one of her past life as well and simply answered, "Yes."

* * *

End Season 2 Episode 1

* * *

 **A/N: Hey, Readers! Sorry about the wait and thanks for your patience. I know this isn't my best work and I MAY rewrite it later but since I haven't done anything for this story for awhile I decided to just go ahead and post it. If this Episode does get a rewrite I'll be sure to let y'all know. Thanks for reading!**


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